Buffalo Mozzarella, the queen of dairy products

The Buffalo mozzarella is a dairy product typical of Southern Italy; it is traditionally originating from the Campania region, especially in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno. The production of this cheese, however, also extends to certain areas of southern Lazio and Puglia.

The Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP is a fresh cheese made by the pasta filata method. It has produced using exclusively buffalo milk, coming from the area of origin. It is made ​​with a traditional and recognized technological process.

This dairy product was granted the Protected Designation of Origin status in 1996, while the European Union granted it the Protected Geographical Status in 2008.

Buffalo milk has a different composition from the ones of other animal species, usually used in cheese production; compared to the one of cow and sheep, for example, is rich in protein and, most of all, in calcium. It must be delivered to the dairy factory within 12 hours from milking and transported in containers that do not alter its organoleptic properties. Before processing it, the milk is also filtered so that all impurities are removed. After that, the production stages include milk heating, breaking and maturation of the curd, spinning, shaping, cooling and salting.

The Buffalo mozzarella is easily digestible, with a low content of lactose and cholesterol. It is a great source of protein, while it has a rather moderate intake of fat and a significantly lower presence of sodium. This makes it preferable to other types of mozzarella cheese or dairy products, as well as a suitable option for various types of diet.

The Buffalo mozzarella is made only from natural products such as milk, salt and rennet; it doesn’t contain any preservatives.

At the end of the production stages, it is immersed in "spinning water", to which are added salt and diluted serum; it is in this liquid that the mozzarella must be maintained until the end. It should be kept in a cool place; the ideal would be to leave it in its envelope, soaking it in cold or warm water depending on the season. Since this is a fresh product, however, the sooner it is eaten, the better!

This product is great when consumed raw but it can obviously also be used in cooking. The recipes using the Buffalo mozzarella are the most various ones and they include pizza, eggplant parmigiana and fried mozzarella. It can also be used to make delicious first course dishes.