Food

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, the Italian queen

mozzarella bufala dop
Written by EFW Staff

An Italian excellence, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP

Fresh and delicious with a taste of fresh milk: Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP is the most famous mozzarella of Italy! It is made with milk coming from the buffalos of Campania that gained the European certification of protected denomination of origin, a true synonym of quality and territory.

Where is Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP produced?

Campania boasts the production of this wonder, here all the productive phases are carried out, from the cows milking to the milk process. This delicacy is produced in the areas of Caserta, Salerno, Naples and Benevento, but it is well appreciated and demanded all over the world; other areas belong to Lazio, Molise and other municipalities in the province of Foggia, in Puglia.

Characteristics of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP

This excellence, which belongs to the DOP products of Campania, is a fresh stretched cheese, produced with 100% Italian fresh milk of Mediterranean buffalos, that achieved the DOP label in 1996.
Buffalo milk is different from cow milk: it is richer in proteins, fats and calcium and, given that is hasn’t carotenoids it gives to mozzarella, its typical snow white colour.
Mozzarella has a typical round shape, however it is possible to find for sale also other shapes nuggets, braids, pearls, knots and cherries. The weight can vary between 10 and 800 gr according to the shape, up to 3 kg for the braid.
Under a thin and smooth peel there is a dough made of thin layers, it is slightly elastic and it tends to melt. The external peel is thick and it protects a soft and milky heart, pretty humid and stretched.
From a nutritive point of view, Buffalo mozzarella is a cheese easy to digest because it has a reduced quantity of lactose and a small tax of cholesterol. It is an extraordinary source of proteins with a high biological content and a small fats count. Moreover, it is the main source of Calcium, phosphorus and water-soluble vitamins like B1, B2 and B6.

mozzarella-bufala-dop

Production and making process

The first phase is the milk coagulation, where the whey is added, a natural substance coming from the previous processes, to activate it, ready for the coagulation.
Milk and whey are brought to a temperature between 33 and 39° C and coagulate with veil rennet. After that the rennet is broken with “spino” in two different phases until you obtain clots as big as a walnut. Starting from this moment the separation between the milk solid and liquid phase occurs. The solid phase is called “cagliata”, ripens until it reaches the perfect condition to be stretched.
Once broken it is mixed with water at 95°C and hand stretched with the help of wood sticks and finally it is cut in small pieces depending on the shapes that you want to sell. The pieces are soaked in cold water and then in brine for a good preservation.

How to taste Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP

The taste is delicate and milky, with slight notes of musk; the smell reminds the milk ferments used for the production. It is better to preserve it in the fridge and eat it just after the purchase. Before tasting it, leave it at room temperature for half an hour in order to enhance its taste and respect its organoleptic properties; in this way you would perceive the typical taste of the buffalo milk.

The best way to eat it? At room temperature, in all its quality without any seasoning. It can be paired with juicy and ripe tomatoes and a basil leaf.

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EFW Staff