In the region of Campania, approximately one hour from Salerno and a stone’s throw from the ancient Greek ruins of Paestum, you will find the home of a local specialty, mozzarella i latte di bufala …mozzarella made from the milk of buffalos!
Yes, mozzarella made from the milk of buffalos. No, no, not those buffalo, the ones roaming the American plains. (Can you even imagine trying to milk one?) These are water buffalo. No again, not the water buffalo you see patiently plowing the rice paddies of Asia.
These are Mediterranean Water Buffalo and no one is quite sure of their origin. One theory is that the Romans brought them here, although some say it was the Goths or maybe the Normans or the Arabs? There’’s even fossil evidence that they originated here in southern Italy. Whatever their origin, the first mention of cheese products being made from water buffalo milk appeared around the 12th century and by the end of the 18th century, buffalo mozzarella was popular throughout southern Italy.
The term mozzarella comes from the process called mozzatura which means “cutting by hand”. and the buffalo mozzarella from Campania, often referred to as the “queen of the Mediterranean cuisine” and “white gold”, bears the “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana” trademark. In 1993 it was given the prestigious status of DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata, i.e, “controlled designation of origin”) which translates into adhering to strict production standards and regulations.
Oh, Give Me a Home….
The buffalo on the farms have a pretty cushy life with plenty of space and definitely plenty of healthy food. Gentle and unfazed by the presence of visitors, they graze contentedly or lounge until the next milking.
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The buffalo are milked twice a day at 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. It’s a biological need for the buffalo, so it takes no coaxing to get them to the milking station. When it’s time they head there single file. It only requires one person to do the milking. Eight at a time, they enter mechanical milking stalls where their teats are washed in natural cold water in order not to affect the milk. Milking lasts about 10 minutes after which the buffalo go out on their own. Yep, back to the feeding trough!
Say Cheese
Buffalo milk is 7% fat while cow milk is 3% fat, thus making the buffalo milk products particularly rich and creamy. One kilo (2.2 pounds) of mozzarella requires about 4 liters (over a gallon) of milk. The entire production process from milking to ready-to-eat takes only 12 hours! Now, that is fresh!!
Production takes place is small and spotless facilities. The entire process is a model of efficiency, experience and teamwork! The buffalo milk is filtered but it isn’t pasteurized, then stored at 4 degrees centigrade. When it’s ready to become cheese, it is heated at 138 degrees centigrade and warmed with steam. Then the rennet/enzyme is added (this is what will make it “curdle”). The fat, i.e. curd, separates from liquid, i.e.,whey. Then, ecco, we have:
Curd -> fat -> mozzarella
and
Whey -> cooked at 80 degrees -> ricotta (which means recooked)
Since the fat is smaller it is put in hot water to “stretch it out”. This is expertly done by hand. Nothing is added, the salt in the brine is all that is needed. The mozzarella is then fed into a machine where the familiar little balls are formed mechanically and dropped into water. They are quickly transferred to a nearby basin of brine water, and bagged and sealed by hand along with the brine water by hand. The mozzarella is ready for immediate distribution.
Cheese to Plate
You might find that many farms have a small restaurant and/or shop where you can sample or purchase products from the farm. Fresh mozzarella and ricotta, of course, as well as smoked and ripened cheeses, gelato, yogurt, buffalo meat products may be available. And it just doesn’t get any fresher!
Many of the buffalo farms in this area offer guided tours and some offer tours in English. Best to check ahead for detailed information.
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