The Secrets of the Italian Mozzarella  - another cheesy story!

Tuscookany uses Mozzarella in many fine dishes. Read how to choose the best quality and how to use this delicious cheese and come to cook in Tuscany with us!

Few products can be considered among the most recognizable incarnations of the Made in Italy: the Italian mozzarella is certainly one of them. Many think they know it inside out, as an ingredient of the delicious caprese salad, or as the key protagonist of the renowned pizza, but the chefs of Tuscookany know of a bunch of little secrets very few experts are aware of.

First of all, the mozzarella that enriches with its strong and welcoming taste the original pizza is the so-called bufala, a delicacy traditionally made in Campania, Molise, Puglia and Lazio. It was born in the region that surrounds Naples, where the buffalos lived. These animals produce milk that is very perishable, with a strong acid component, which makes it perfect to be curdled. According to the historians, this cheese has ancient origins. In fact, it is said one of its distant relatives was consumed 7500 years ago during the Palaeolithic!

The name mozzarella comes from the Italian word “Mozzatura”, which means “Cut Off”. The reason for the name is that the curd is cut, following an old artisanal tradition, by hand using the index finger and the thumb, a process that gives the cheese its typical shape. Here is something you may not know. What is often sold as mozzarella, made with cow milk, is not exactly “mozzarella”. The name should be used only to describe the cheese produced with buffalo milk, otherwise the correct label should be “fior di latte”.

A trick to enjoy it at its best is to warm up the mozzarella au bain marie in its own liquid for about twenty minutes. The water shouldn’t be too hot, around 38 degrees. This will warm the cheese, softening the liquids, and allowing you to fully appreciate the taste.

The reputation of this culinary wonder is not a simple consequence of its exquisite taste. The most recent researches, in fact, have shown that the Italian mozzarella is among the most valid substitutes for meat and fish, due to the high content of high-quality proteins, minerals and precious calcium, which is essential to prevent osteoporosis. This, however, is not all: the mozzarella owns also the power to protect our organism from the negative effects of free radicals.

To use it on the pizza, the best method is to cut it into pieces, put it in a colander with a weight, and eliminate the excess of liquid that would otherwise wet the pizza.

One final note. When the time comes to choose the right mozzarella, make sure that the cheese is pure white, bright, and that the serum is clear. Any colouring that tends towards yellow is a sign of poor freshness. Once you cut it, you should also be able to see drops of a milky liquid, without strange bubbles.

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