Softly, Softly, Nice and Cheesy: Part Last

Yet again...Prudence Dapperling's "Mouse in a Million" BIG CHEESE Blog!

And for my final offering on Italy's "soft" side I bring you...

Mozzarella (moh-tsah-REH-lah).

Some of the best Mozzarella cheese comes from the milk of the water buffalo.

Water buffalo have lived in the region to the south and west of Naples (in the province of Campania) since the 2nd century A.D. Mozzarella was made from their milk in the hills near Salerno until the 1940s, when the animals were destroyed by Nazis retreating the region during the Second World War. After the war, Italy brought in more water buffalo from India. Since then, these herds have expanded, and now a thriving water-buffalo milk industry exists... which ensures a plentiful supply of Mozzarella di bufala.

While Mozzarella can also be made from cow's milk, Mozzarella di bufala is considered by many to be the better of the two. It's sweeter and has a greater depth of flavor than the cow variety. It also has a slightly different color... sort of a greenish-yellow shade. Whether it's made of cow's or water buffalo's milk, fresh Mozzarella is considered a pulled, or "spun", curd cheese.

If you want a Mozzarella with a longer shelf life (say a week or so), buy it salted. Salted not only keeps longer, it's good to eat all by itself with some crusty bread and a nice red wine. The unsalted version doesn't last nearly as long and is usually confined to use in cooking.

Mozzarella features prominently in a number of Italian delicacies, such as caprese--a lovely dish comprising slices of the cheese alternated with ripe tomato slices, fresh basil, freshly ground black pepper, and drizzled with extra-virgin oil--or as the main treat in an antipasto.  Yum!

Now you know: Mozzarella is way beyond that rubbery, flavorless stuff found on pizzas. Moist, sweet, slightly salty, milky, buttery, and nutty, it's one truly marvelous cheese!