Cheeses

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (buffalo mozzarella)

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO: porcelain white, with the thinnest skin

Only fresh milk from Italian Mediterranean buffalo goes in, started with the previous day's whey, which carries the dairy's own microbial flora. The curd is stretched in water at 95 °C and then cut into single pieces, in many dairies still pinched off by hand. Beyond the classic round it comes as bocconcini, braids, knots and cherry-sized ciliegine.

• Smooth, porcelain-white surface and a layered paste with no holes
• Springy for the first hours, then ever more melting: freshness shows in the bite
• Delicate flavour, a faint musky note and the scent of lactic ferments

How to enjoy it. Keep it covered in its own liquid in glass or ceramic and eat it as it is, at room temperature. If it is headed for a pizza, drain it and give it a few hours chilled first, so the excess liquid runs off.

Production areas

Campania, Molise, Apulia

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