Mozzarella di bufala: the best on the market

Mozzarella di bufala is an authentic jewel of dairy art. A fresh cheese produced with water buffalo milk and obtained with the technique called "pasta filata," a double process that consists in cheese-making followed by the "stretching" of the curd, washed with boiling water in order to make the structure fibrous, plastic and stringy.

Mozzarella di bufala: a bit of history

The history of this fresh stretched curd cheese began centuries ago, when the Moors and Saracens introduced water buffalo into the coastal marshes of the Volturno and Sele plain. Soon the animals' milk began to be appreciated for the production of cheeses and official documents attest that the production of "mozza" took place in the 12th century, inside the monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua. In the 14th century there are various testimonies that prove the commercialisation of buffalo milk products usually destined for the rich Neapolitan and Salerno markets, and above all the "provature," i.e. smoked mozzarella, created for conservation purposes. In 1570 the name "mozzarella" appeared for the first time in a text by Bartolomeo Scappi, cook at the papal court. The term derives from the verb "mozzare", that is, the operation still practised today in all dairies, which consists in cutting the piece of spun curd with bare hands and with a characteristic motion, and immediately afterwards detaching the individual mozzarella ball in its typical rounded shape with index fingers and thumbs doing the cutting. Towards the end of the 18th century, mozzarella became a consumer product, also thanks to the creation, by the Bourbons, of a large water buffalo farm with an adjoining experimental dairy for the processing of the same milk, on the site of the Reggia di Carditello, the royal estate in the province of Caserta of the Spanish dynasty. The real trade was born in Aversa, in the "Taverna:" a veritable wholesale market for mozzarella and dairy products produced from the same milk.

The tasting

In the blind tasting we did not taste only Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop, which is produced with milk coming exclusively from the provinces of Caserta, Naples, Salerno, Latina, Frosinone and Foggia, according to a traditional technique that leaves freedom on the quantity of salt allowed in the brine. Hence a substantial difference between Salerno and Caserta mozzarella di bufala: in the former this percentage reaches a maximum of 3%; in the Caserta area, however, the salt concentration is around 5%. In practice, the Caserta mozzarella is slightly more salty than the Salerno one. This is why we have drawn up two distinct lists with the best mozzarella di bufala to buy, from the first ranked to the other winning products, in alphabetical order.

The best mozzarella di bufala on the market. Salerno area

1 position - Vannulo

There is no doubt, even in the blind: Vannulo's mozzarella di bufala is confirmed to be a Campania excellence. The warm and genuine scent of water buffalo milk, which gushes abundantly at the first bite, the firm texture, the hand-cut, the enveloping flavour and the desire to eat more, make this the queen of mozzarella di bufala..

Recommended retail price: 15,00 € per Kg.

Capaccio Paestum (SA) – Via G.Galilei, 101 – 0828727894 – www.vannulo.it

In alphabetical order

Barlotti

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop, with a shiny and inviting appearance. The buffalo milk scent is persistent and pervades the senses. The texture is firm and compact and is pleasant to chew. In the mouth the taste is sweet, with balanced sapidity and leaves a slight tangy aftertaste, reminiscent of yoghurt.

Recommended retail price: 16,00 € per Kg.

Capaccio Paestum (SA) – Via Torre di Mare, 3 – 0828811146 – www.barlotti.it

Giuseppe Morese

Giuseppe Morese's buffalo mozzarella is flirtatious, likeable mozzarella, without defects. With delicate, slightly tangy olfactory notes, it is balanced and not very greasy on the palate. The texture is firm and compact and when cut it releases not much milk.

Recommended retail price: 15,00 € per Kg.

Sant’Antonio di Pontecagnano Faiano (SA) – Via Amerigo Vespucci snc – 089382163 - www.giuseppemorese.com

Jemma

Round, regular, perfect, Dop. A mozzarella rich in milk, with a scent of buffalo yogurt and a firm texture, characterised by scattered internal eyes. In the mouth it envelops the palate leaving it fat at the right point. Upon tasting, warm notes of hazelnut and dried fruit emerge.

Recommended retail price: 18,00 € per Kg.

Battipaglia (SA) – Via Velia, 2 – 0828300336 – www.caseificioiemma.com

La Contadina

The challenge won by La Contadina is maintaining a high quality craftsmanship standard, despite the wide diffusion of sales points throughout the national territory. The scent of hay and buffalo milk pervade the palate. The PDO mozzarella, cut by hand, is rich in milk and has small holes (eyes), on the finish the mouthfeel is slightly astringent.

Recommended retail price: 19,00 € per Kg.

Altavilla Silentina (SA) - c.da Falagato, 146 – 0828987178 – www.lacontadina.it

The best mozzarella di bufala on the market. Caserta area

1 position - Mini Caseificio Costanzo

Hand-cut, as it once was. A fine mozzarella di bufala, full of milk, with an intense scent of milk with a firm and elastic texture. Correct in all its nuances, she leaves a velvety mouth. On the nose lactic notes of fresh yoghurt prevail and on the palate one can appreciate the perfect balance between flavour, tang and sweetness.

Recommended retail price: 15,50 € per Kg.

Lusciano (CE) – Via Marconi, 57 – 0818142341 – www.mozzarellacostanzo.com

In alphabetical order

ABC

A Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop with an enveloping scent of buffalo milk and hay. A tasty mozzarella, rich in milk, with a deliciously intense and persistent flavour that involves all the senses. The consistency is elastic and pleasant to chew. It necessarily requires an encore.

Recommended retail price: 

Vitulazio (CE) - Via Appia Km 196,400 – 0823621560 – www.bufala-abc.it

Agnena

A white porcelain sphere. Caseificio Agnena's Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop is beautiful to look at and delicious to taste. The elastic texture and the milk it releases at the first bite pervade the palate, leaving a velvety and slightly greasy mouth. Sapid at the right point, it is in perfect balance with the acidic and yoghurty notes of fresh buffalo milk.

Recommended retail price: 12,00 € per Kg.

Cancello ed Arnone (CE) – Via Reggia Agnena Km 0.500 – 0823856267 – www.caseificioagnena.it

Antico Casale

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop, round, fragrant and rich in milk. It envelops the palate with its firm and elastic texture and its scent of fresh buffalo milk. A contrast emerges between the more savoury outer part and a sweeter and more delicate core.

Recommended retail price: 14,00 € per Kg.

Mondragone (CE) – Via Padule, IV trav. – 0823979194 – www.caseificioanticocasale.it

Fattoria Pagliuca

A Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop with an historic flavour, cut by hand. Olfactory notes of toasted hazelnut emerge, and in the mouth the flavour is almost creamy, leaving the palate velvety and satisfied. The consistency is firm, but not very elastic, and has narrow eyes inside. The balance between acidity and sweetness is perfect.

Recommended retail price: 14,00 € per Kg.

Alvignano (CE) – Via San Giacomo, 6 – 0823869394 – www.fattoriapagliuca.it

Other production areas

Il Granatore

A dairy in Palmi, in the province of Reggio Calabria, produces excellent buffalo milk mozzarella, challenging colleagues from Campania, who have always been considered the best "mozzarella" in Italy. The mozzarella from Il Granatore has a fresh scent of milk and yoghurt. Warm and expressive lactic notes emerge on the nose, well balanced by a slightly hinted acidity.

Recommended retail price: 13,50 € per Kg.

Palmi (RC) – Piazzale San Gaetano, 51 – 0966260001

Mozz’Art

A shiny and inviting mozzarella di bufala, cut by hand. When cut, a lot of milk comes out and its scent is inebriating. On the palate it is tasty and flavourful, enveloping the palate with its buffalo notes and its slight "yoghurt" tang.

Recommended retail price: 13,00 € per Kg.

Casoria (NA) – Via Circumvallazione esterna, 22 – 08118203785 – www.caseificio-mozzart.business.site