Mozzarella
{{Short description|Type of semi-soft Italian cheese}}
{{Redirect|fior-di-latte|other uses|fior di latte (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Mozzarella
| image = Mozzarella di bufala3.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Buffalo mozzarella
| othernames = {{llang|nap|Muzzarella}}
| country = Italy
| source = Italian Mediterranean buffalo; cows in all 20 Italian regions; in some areas also sheep and goat
| pasteurised = Depends on variety
| texture = Semi-soft
| fat = 22%
| certification = TSG: 1998
}}
Mozzarella{{efn|English: {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɒ|t|s|ə|ˈ|r|ɛ|l|ə}} {{respell|MOT|sə|REL|ə}}, {{IPA|it|mottsaˈrɛlla|lang|small=no}}; {{langx|nap|muzzarella}}, {{IPA|nap|muttsaˈrɛllə|pron|small=no}}.}} is a semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the {{lang|it|pasta filata}} ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy.
It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names:
- {{lang|it|Mozzarella fior di latte}} or mozzarella: cow's milk.
- {{lang|it|Mozzarella di bufala campana}}: Italian buffalo's milk.
Fresh mozzarella is white, but the occasional yellow or brown colour of mozzarella comes from the enzyme R110.{{Cite journal |last1=Yun |first1=J. Joseph |last2=Barbano |first2=David M. |last3=Larose |first3=Kristie L. |last4=Kindstedt |first4=Paul S. |date=January 1998 |title=Mozzarella Cheese: Impact of Nonfat Dry Milk Fortification on Composition, Proteolysis, and Functional Properties |journal=Journal of Dairy Science |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(98)75543-2 |issn=0022-0302|doi-access=free }} Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after it is made{{cite web|url=http://www.thewinenews.com/octnov06/cuisine.asp |title=Burrata mozzarella's creamy cousin makes a fresh impression |work=The Wine News Magazine |access-date=1 April 2008 |last=Kotkin |first=Carole |date=October–November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124090108/http://www.thewinenews.com/octnov06/cuisine.asp |archive-date=24 November 2007 }} but can be kept in brine for up to a week{{cite web |author= Staff |url= http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/1833005/ |publisher= PCC Natural Markets |work= Healthnotes |title= Mozzarella |access-date= 1 April 2008 |archive-date= 6 February 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100206085750/http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/1833005 |url-status= live }} or longer when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Fresh mozzarella can be heard to make a distinct squeaky sound when it is chewed or rubbed.{{Cite journal |vauthors=Nurkkala E, Hannula M, Carlson CS, Hyttinen J, Hopia A, Postema M |date=2023 |title=Micro-computed tomography shows silent bubbles in squeaky mozzarella |journal=Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=5–8 |doi=10.1515/cdbme-2023-1002 |s2cid=262087123 |doi-access=free }}
Low-moisture mozzarella can be kept refrigerated for up to a month,{{cite book |first= John |last= Correll |chapter-url= http://www.correllconcepts.com/Encyclopizza/09_Cheese/09_cheese.htm |chapter= Chapter 8 – Cheese |title= The Original Encyclopizza: Pizza Ingredient Purchasing and Preparation |publisher= Fulfillment Press |isbn= 978-0-9820920-7-1 |access-date= 1 April 2008 |date= 30 November 2011 |archive-date= 25 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725071959/http://www.correllconcepts.com/Encyclopizza/09_Cheese/09_cheese.htm |url-status= live }} although some shredded low-moisture mozzarella is sold with a shelf life of up to six months.{{cite web |author= Staff |url= http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/cheese/shreds/mozzarella-low-moisture-part-skim-shredded-6-oz/ |publisher= Organic Valley |title= Shreds: Mozzarella, Low Moisture, Part Skim, Shredded, 6 oz. |access-date= 1 April 2008 |archive-date= 23 May 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080523114109/http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/cheese/shreds/mozzarella-low-moisture-part-skim-shredded-6-oz/ |url-status= dead }} Mozzarella is used for most types of pizza and several pasta dishes or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in Caprese salad.
Etymology
{{lang|it|Mozzarella}}, derived from the southern Italian dialects spoken in Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Lazio, and Marche, is the diminutive form of {{lang|it|mozza}}, 'cut', or {{lang|it|mozzare}}, 'to cut off', derived from the method of working.{{cite web |url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mozzarella |author= Staff |title= Mozzarella |work= Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online |access-date= 1 April 2012 |archive-date= 6 October 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111006191703/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mozzarella |url-status= live }} The term is first mentioned in 1570, cited in a cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, reading "milk cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and milk".{{cite news |first= David |last= Charter |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3643079.ece |title= Buffalo mozzarella in crisis after pollution fears at Italian farms |work= The Times |location= London |date= 29 March 2008 |access-date= 1 April 2008 |archive-date= 29 August 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080829150322/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3643079.ece |url-status= dead }}{{subscription required}} An earlier reference of Monsignor Alicandri is also often cited as describing mozzarella, which states that in the 12th century the Monastery of San Lorenzo, in Capua, Campania, Alicandri offered pilgrims a piece of bread with {{lang|it|mozza}}.{{Cite book|author=Alicandri L.|title=Il Mazzone nell'antichità e nei tempi presenti|year=1915|page=88|language=Italian}}
Types
Fresh mozzarella, recognised as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) since 1996 in the European Union,Regolamento (CE) N. 2527/98 della commissione del 25 novembre 1998 registrando una denominazione - Mozzarella - nell'albo delle attestazioni di specificità. Gazzetta ufficiale delle Comunità europee L 317/14 del 26/11/1998.{{Cite web |title=Mozzarella Tradizionale TSG :: Qualigeo |url=https://www.qualigeo.eu/en/product/mozzarella-tsg// |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Qualigeo :: Banca dati europea dei prodotti DOP IGP STG |language=en-US}} is available usually rolled into a ball of {{convert|80|to|100|g|oz}} or about {{convert|6|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter, and sometimes up to {{convert|1|kg|lb|abbr=on}} or about {{convert|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter. It is soaked in salt water (brine) or whey.
If citric acid is added and it is partly dried (desiccated), its structure becomes more compact. In this last form it is often used to prepare dishes cooked in the oven, such as lasagna and pizza.{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:040:0017:0025:EN:PDF |title=Official Journal of the European Union |publisher=lex.europa.eu |date=2008 |access-date=2021-04-14 |archive-date=9 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009030930/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:040:0017:0025:EN:PDF |url-status=live }}
=Sizes and shapes=
{{Refimprove section|date=October 2024}}
Fresh mozzarella balls are made in multiple sizes for various uses; often the name refers to the size. Sizes smaller than the typical fist-sized ball include {{lang|it|ovolini}}, which are about the size of a hen's egg, and may be used whole as part of a composed salad or sliced for topping a small sandwich such as a slider.{{Cite web |last=Kapadia |first=Jess |date=2015-10-01 |title=12 Types Of Mozzarella To Know, Love and Melt |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/10/01/12-types-mozzarella-know-love-melt/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Food Republic |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007124954/https://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/10/01/12-types-mozzarella-know-love-melt/ |url-status=live }}
Bocconcini ('small mouthful'), sometimes called {{lang|it|uova di bufala}} ('buffalo eggs'), are approximately bite-sized; a common use is alternating them with cherry tomatoes on a skewer for an appetiser.[https://books.google.com/books?id=duCrM0xEkv4C&pg=PA40 The Essential Fingerfood Cookbook], p. 40. {{lang|it|Ciliegine}} ('small cherries') are cherry-sized.{{Cite web |title=Ciliegine mozzarella {{!}} Local Cheese From Italy |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/ciliegine-mozzarella |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=TasteAtlas |archive-date=30 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230144843/https://www.tasteatlas.com/ciliegine-mozzarella |url-status=live }} {{lang|it|Perlene}} are the smallest commercially produced and are often added to salads or into hot soups or pasta dishes just before serving. These balls are packaged in whey or water, have a spongy texture, and absorb flavours.
Bocconcini of water buffalo's milk are still produced in the provinces of Naples, Caserta, and Salerno, as {{lang|it|bocconcini alla panna di bufala}}, in a process that involves mixing freshly produced {{lang|it|mozzarella di bufala campana}} PDO with fresh cream. A {{lang|it|bocconcino di bufala campana}} PDO is also made, which is simply {{lang|it|mozzarella di bufala campana}} PDO, produced in the egg-sized format.
When twisted to form a plait, mozzarella is called {{lang|it|treccia}}.{{cite book | last1=Bonetto | first1=C. | last2=Clark | first2=G. | last3=McNaughtan | first3=H. | title=Lonely Planet Southern Italy | publisher=Lonely Planet Global Limited | series=Travel Guide | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-78701-947-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M71TDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT471 | access-date=27 October 2024 | page=PT471}}
Production
{{Infobox nutritional value
| name = Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk
| water = 50 g
| kcal = 300
| protein = 22.2 g
| fat = 22.4 g
| satfat = 13.2 g
| monofat = 6.6 g
| carbs = 2.2 g
| sugars = 1 g
| calcium_mg = 505
| phosphorus_mg = 354
| sodium_mg = 627
| source_usda = 1
}}
After the curd heals, it is further cut into {{Convert|1|-|1.5|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} pieces. The curds are stirred and heated to separate the curds from the whey. The whey is then drained from the curds and the curds are placed in a hoop to form a solid mass. The curd mass is left until the pH is at around 5.2–5.5, which is the point when the cheese can be stretched and kneaded to produce a delicate consistency—this process is generally known as {{lang|it|pasta filata}}. According to the {{lang|it|mozzarella di bufala campana}} trade association, "The cheese-maker kneads it with his hands, like a baker making bread, until he obtains a smooth, shiny paste, a strand of which he pulls out and lops off, forming the individual mozzarella."{{cite web |author= Staff |url= http://www.mozzarelladibufala.org/allestimento.htm |title= Campana Buffalo's Mozzarella Cheese |publisher= Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Trade Organization |access-date= 8 May 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081017165243/http://www.mozzarelladibufala.org/allestimento.htm |archive-date= 17 October 2008 |url-status= dead }}
Variants
=Buffalo's milk=
In Italy, the cheese is produced nationwide using Italian buffalo's milk under the government's official name {{lang|it|mozzarella di latte di bufala}}, because Italian buffalo are present in all Italian regions. Only selected {{lang|it|mozzarella di bufala campana}} PDO is a style made from the milk of Italian buffalo raised in designated areas of Campania, Lazio, Apulia, and Molise. Unlike other mozzarellas—50% of whose production derives from non-Italian and often semi-coagulated milk{{cite web |last=Fiore |first=Roberto |date=4 June 2009 |title=Fermiamo il formaggio Frankenstein |url=http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/societa/200906articoli/44305girata.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205358/http://www1.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/societa/200906articoli/44305girata.asp |archive-date=4 January 2014 |access-date=1 April 2012 |work=La Stampa |language=it}}—it holds the status of a protected designation of origin (PDO: 1996) under European Union law{{cite journal |date=5 February 2008 |title=Commission Regulation (EC) No 103/2008 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=474 |url-status=live |journal=Official Journal of the European Communities |publisher=European Commission |volume=51 |page=L 31/31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809231713/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=474 |archive-date=9 August 2014 |access-date=28 July 2014}} and UK law.{{cite web |title=Mozzarella di Bufala Campana |url=https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/mozzarella-di-bufala-campana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023211809/https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/mozzarella-di-bufala-campana |archive-date=23 October 2021 |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=UK Government}}
=Sheep's milk=
Mozzarella of sheep milk, sometimes called {{lang|it|mozzarella pecorella}}, is typical of Sardinia, Lazio, and Abruzzo, where it is also called {{lang|it|mozzapecora}}. It is worked with the addition of the rennet of lamb.{{Cite web |title=Sardinian quality |url=http://www.cibitipici.it/prezzo/mozzarella-di-pecora |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818231649/http://cibitipici.it/prezzo/mozzarella-di-pecora |archive-date=18 August 2013 |access-date=15 April 2013}}{{Cite web |title=Latium quality |url=http://www.formaggiroma.it/pagina.php?ID=29&categoria= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209121145/http://www.formaggiroma.it/pagina.php?ID=29&categoria= |archive-date=9 February 2020 |access-date=22 June 2017}}[http://www.houseificioiltratturo.it/mozzarella.htm Abruzzo quality]{{Dead link|date=April 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}
=Goat's milk=
Mozzarella of goat milk is of recent origin and the producers are still few.{{Cite web |title=article in "L'Espresso" |url=http://espresso.repubblica.it/food/dettaglio/ecco-il-fior-di-latte-di-capra/2221355.html?refresh_ce |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614095442/http://espresso.repubblica.it/food/dettaglio/ecco-il-fior-di-latte-di-capra/2221355.html?refresh_ce |archive-date=14 June 2018 |access-date=22 June 2017}}
=Low-moisture=
Several variants have been specifically formulated and prepared for use on pizza, such as low-moisture mozzarella cheese.{{cite web |author=Aikenhead, Charles |date=1 June 2003 |title=Permanently pizza: continuous production of pizza cheese is now a realistic proposition |url=http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-105477922/permanently-pizza-continuo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125035645/http://business.highbeam.com/137612/article-1G1-105477922/permanently-pizza-continuo |archive-date=25 January 2013 |access-date=30 September 2012 |publisher=Dairy Industries International}} {{Subscription required}}{{cite book |author=Fox, Patrick F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7cacFl04bgC&q=pizza+cheese&pg=PA338 |title=Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology (Major Cheese Groups) |date=1999 |publisher=Aspen Publishers, Inc. |isbn=9780834213395 |volume=2 |access-date=27 September 2012}} {{ISBN|0412535106}} The International Dictionary of Food and Cooking defines this cheese as "a soft spun-curd cheese similar to mozzarella made from cow's milk" that is "[u]sed particularly for pizzas and [that] contains somewhat less water than real mozzarella".{{cite book |last=Sinclair |first=Charles G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnveo8cyxKkC&q=%22pizza+cheese%22&pg=PA417 |title=International Dictionary of Food and Cooking |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers |year=1998 |isbn=1579580572 |page=417}}
Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, widely used in the food service industry, has a low galactose content, per some consumers' preference for cheese on pizza to have low or moderate browning.{{cite journal |author1=Baskaran, D. |author2=Sivakumar, S. |date=November 2003 |title=Galactose concentration in pizza cheese prepared by three different culture techniques |journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=229–232 |doi=10.1046/j.1471-0307.2003.00109.x |doi-access=free}}{{efn|Galactose is a type of sugar found in dairy products and other foods that is less sweet than glucose. Sugar in foods can lead to caramelization when they are cooked, which increases their browning.}} Some pizza cheeses derived from skim mozzarella variants were designed not to require aging or the use of starter.{{cite web |author=McMahon |display-authors=etal |date=5 September 2000 |title=Manufacture of Lower-fat and Fat-free Pizza Cheese |url=http://www.google.com/patents?id=hs4DAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&dq=pizza+cheese |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110123935/https://patents.google.com/patent/US6113953?oq=pizza+cheese |archive-date=10 January 2020 |access-date=28 September 2012 |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office}} Others can be made through the direct acidification of milk.
=Smoked=
Mozzarella is also available smoked ({{lang|it|affumicata}}).{{Cite web |last=swabespAfra3 |date=2018-01-31 |title=Scamorza Affumicata: Italian Smoked Scamorza |url=https://www.murgella.com/scamorza/smoked-scamorza-affumicata/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206012152/https://www.murgella.com/scamorza/smoked-scamorza-affumicata/ |archive-date=6 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Murgella}}
=Turkish=
Çaycuma and Kandıra mozzarella cheeses are Turkish cheeses made of buffalo's milk.{{Cite web |title=MANDA MOZZARELLA PEYNİRİ 270GR - PERİHAN ABLA |url=https://www.caycumamandayogurdu.net/urun/manda-mozzarella-peyniri-270gr/127 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425141255/https://www.caycumamandayogurdu.net/urun/manda-mozzarella-peyniri-270gr/127 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |access-date=2021-04-25 |website=www.caycumamandayogurdu.net |language=tr}}{{Cite web |title=Kandıra'da ürettikleri İtalyan peynirleriyle ithalatın önüne geçtiler |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/kandirada-urettikleri-italyan-peynirleriyle-ithalatin-onune-gectiler/2134765 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205105426/https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/kandirada-urettikleri-italyan-peynirleriyle-ithalatin-onune-gectiler/2134765 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |access-date=2021-04-26 |website=www.aa.com.tr |language=tr}}
Recognitions and regulations
Mozzarella received a traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) certification from the European Union in 1998, and in 2022 the product specification was updated for the name {{lang|it|mozzarella tradizionale}}.{{Cite web |title=Mozzarella Tradizionale |url=https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/details/EUGI00000014040 |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=ec.europa.eu}}{{Citation |title=Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1291 of 22 July 2022 approving a non-minor amendment to the product specification for a name entered in the register of traditional specialities guaranteed 'Mozzarella' (TSG) |date=2022-07-22 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2022.196.01.0115.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2022:196:TOC |access-date=2024-10-10 |language=en}} This protection scheme requires that {{lang|it|mozzarella tradizionale}} sold in the European Union is produced according to a traditional recipe. The TSG certification does not specify the source of the milk, so any type of milk can be used, but it is speculated that it is normally made from whole milk.
Different variants of this dairy product are included in the list of {{lang|it|prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali}} (PAT) of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF), with the following denominations:{{cite web|title=D.M. n° 54556 del 14/07/2017 "Diciassettesimo aggiornamento dell'elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali ai sensi dell'articolo 12, comma 1, della legge 12 dicembre 2016, n. 238"|publisher=Gazzetta ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana nº 176 del 29/07/2017, Supplemento Ordinario nº 41|url=https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/7%252Ff%252Fc%252FD.752a52535cc29bcadf34/P/BLOB%3AID%3D11568/E/pdf|access-date=21 January 2019|archive-date=2 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902010002/https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/7%252Ff%252Fc%252FD.752a52535cc29bcadf34/P/BLOB%3AID%3D11568/E/pdf|url-status=live}}
See also
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://lacasa.com.au/q-and-a/ Bocconcini Information; Ingredients & Nutritional Info, Recipes, FAQ & More]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327213012/http://lacasa.com.au/q-and-a/ |date=27 March 2018 }}.
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg7SaR5UQE Video] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414195236/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg7SaR5UQE |date=14 April 2016 }}. How Mozzarella Cheese is Manufactured.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010623/http://www.mozzarella-cheese.co.uk/making_mozzarella.html Step-by-step photo guide to making Mozzarella]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081017165243/http://www.mozzarelladibufala.org/allestimento.htm Mozzarella di Bufala Campana trade organization]
- [http://www.mozzarelladop.it/ The official DOP Consortium site]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302132127/http://www.mozzarelladop.it/ |date=2 March 2007 }} (requires Flash).
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010623/http://www.nonsolomozzarella.com/ Sito di approndimento scientifico sulla mozzarella, e l'allevamento di bufala campana]
{{Italian cheeses}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Stretched-curd cheeses
Category:Traditional Speciality Guaranteed products from Italy