Who cut the “mozzarella” cheese?

Mozzarella is a fresh cheese, originally from southern Italy, made from either goat’s or cow’s milk by the pasta filata method.  Traditional mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk, and its flavor is highly prized.. Since these animals are herded in only a few countries, primarily Italy and Bulgaria, most mozzarella is now made from cow’s milk. Water buffalo milk is very high in fat and cassein and not easily digestible in its raw form.

Etymology

The word Mozzarella, which is derived from the Neapolitan dialect spoken in Campania—is the diminutive form of mozza (‘”cut”), or mozzare (“to cut off”) derived from the method of working. In continental Italian and standard English use of the word mozzarella, the vowel at the end of mozzarella is pronounced, although some longstanding Italian-American communities typical of the east coast United States drop the vowel by convention, rendering the spoken word “mozzarell.”

The term mozzarella is first found definitively mentioned in 1570, cited in a cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, reading “milk cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and milk.

Process of Making Mozzarella

This cheese is not aged like most cheeses. The process of making mozzarella is called pasta filata, which means the curds are heated in water or whey until they form strings and become elastic in texture. The curds are stretched, kneaded until smooth, and then formed into round balls to make fresh mozzarella cheese.

Fresh mozzarella is generally white, but may vary seasonally to slightly yellow depending on the animal’s diet. It is a semi-soft cheese. Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after it is made, but can be kept in brine for up to a week, or longer when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Low-moisture mozzarella can be kept refrigerated for up to a month, though some shredded low-moisture mozzarella is sold with a shelf life of up to six months.

Fresh it is usually rolled into a ball of 80 to 100 grams (2.8 to 3.5 oz), or about 6 centimeters (2.4 in) in diameter, sometimes up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), or about 12 centimeters (4.7 in) diameter, and soaked in salt water (brine) or whey, sometimes with citric acid added.

History

As early as the thirteenth century, the monks of San Lorenzo in Capua used to give bread and mozzarella to the members of the chapter who took part in their processions but it was not until after the seventeenth century that buffalo’s milk mozzarella began to be produced on a large scale.

The most widely known theory of the origins is that the Goths were responsible for the introduction of the buffalo to Italy towards the end of the Roman Empire rule. However, shortly after the end of the Roman Empire an outbreak of malaria caused the area to be cleared and it was not until the 18th century that people started to move back into the area. They were delighted to find that the buffalo had remained in the area and although now wild had multiplied during their absence. The buffalo soon became domesticated again and the milk from the buffalo was recognized as a suitable and profitable alternative to cow’s milk in the making of dairy products.

In 1889, it was first documented as being used in creating a pizza in Naples that consisted of tomato and basil.

Northern Italy became concerned about cleaning up the marshlands, and in 1930, the south began a massive agrarian reform. The herds of water buffalo, the “black mine” that produced “white gold,” dwindled. Cow’s milk began to replace bufala milk in the recipe. Then, in 1940 the Nazis destroyed the remaining herds. After the war, water buffalo imported from India were reintroduced to Italy, but the cheese introduced to North America by Italian immigrants in New York at the turn of the 20th century and in Canada around 1949 was made with cow’s milk.

Mozzarella of several kinds is used for most types of pizza and several pasta dishes, or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in insalata caprese.

The video below shows the process live and in color by PizzaMania staff.  Gaetano, owner of PizzaMania kind of narrates the process.