The journey among the best dairies with DOP buffalo mozzarella

The history of buffalo mozzarella

The origins of buffalo mozzarella are very distant, traces of it can be found in texts and documents from the 1300s. It seems that the ancient monks of the monastery of San Lorenzo di Capua offered passing pilgrims a cheese called provatura or mozza. At the time it was a fresh cheese made from buffalo milk, it seems that the name came from cutting the stretched curd with thumb and forefinger, a method still used by today's cheesemakers.

The history of mozzarella is linked to the buffalo herds that arrived in Italy with the invasion of the Lombards, although for some it seems that the animals came from India in pre-Roman times. It is certainly known that between the 12th and 13th centuries in Italy there were animals which, although in the wild, found a similar habitat in southern Italy.

The animal was used by man for a dual function: milk and work, only later did it also begin to be used for the production of more or less valuable cuts of meat.

Buffalo mozzarella and the Middle Ages

Fresh and mature cheeses, buffalo mozzarella and derivatives are starting to achieve the notoriety they deserve, especially in specific areas of the Salerno area such as Capua and Aversa.

Buffalo mozzarella in particular is a product that had to be consumed within a few days of production, which is why they were sold on the local markets in the area. For medium-life products, however, we could have expanded a little more, such as smoked provola which keeps the aroma unchanged by preserving it for longer. Thus were born the first dairies with adjoining rooms intended for milking and the first buffalo farms where the transformation into very soft mozzarella took place.

Bartolomeo Sappi, chef of the papal court, encloses its essence in a recipe book, mentioning buffalo mozzarella and testing to identify the provola. This is why many provola and few hoaxes appear in the first traditional Neapolitan nativity scenes, the motivation is linked only to conservation.

The arrival of the Bourbons

With the Bourbon era, buffalo mozzarella acquired a very respectable exploit. In the second half of the 18th century, the Bourbon king created a buffalo settlement at the Tenuta Reali di Carditello, creating the largest - until then - buffalo farm. In this way production was stabilized and the distinction with provola was defined through various procedures including smoking.

In the “Reale Industria della Pagliata delle Bufale” it is worth mentioning the “Royal Vaccheria” in Capodimonte. Here mozzarella was created with buffalo and cow's milk, in the same historical period the production area was also created which included Lazio, Caserta, Naples, Salerno, Battipaglia, Foggia and Paestum. The expansion represented the first model of dairy industrialization.

And then? Today's buffalo mozzarella

With fascism, the number of buffalo animals decreased drastically, but the desire to keep dairy production intact made it possible to obtain recognition for the Mediterranean buffalo.

The reasons that lead to the decline are different and multiple, on the one hand the arrival of wars and the need to live with the bare essentials, on the other the desire to optimize times and methods and dedicate attention to the production of multi-purpose products. wide margin of conservation.

Different reasons which however clash with the goodness of the product which becomes excellent if the quality of the raw materials is well selected. Thus began the rise of the product again which soon conquered the podium of fresh dairy products.

The Protection Consortium commonly calls buffalo mozzarella "White Gold" and defines a specific process for the production of buffalo mozzarella.

The 5 best DOP dairies in Italy

There are many, these are 5 that range between Campania, Lazio and Puglia. The tradition is so rooted in these areas that it tells of the presence of a patent: the Zizzona di Battipaglia. The Consortium for the Protection of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Dop brings together all the activities that produce it, here are some of them.

Capaccio and the Barlotti Dairy

The temples of Paestum as a backdrop enclose a family-run dairy that has been present in the area for almost a century. Over time they have focused attention on eco-sustainable production, a flagship in addition to buffalo mozzarella and other delicious and tasty products; braid, cardinals, aversana and ricotta.

Alvignano and the Il Casolare dairy

The third generation of the LaVecchia family continues a production of excellence full of prizes and recognitions.

The mozzarella ranges between different weights - from 10 grams up to 3 kg, choosing farms in the surrounding area. The production is traditional, techniques and methods that recall the work of the past have been maintained over time.

The charm of tradition has captivated several famous people including the original chef Gordon Ramsay.

Castel Volturno - The Lands of Don Peppe Diana Libera Terra

Here the Mozzarella della Legalità is born, produced by the social and agricultural cooperative in the lands confiscated from the Camorra. The social motivation and the desire to create typical products transform the activity into a respectable project capable of teaching and transferring healthy and clean concepts to young people in the area.

Buffalo mozzarella with a social impact becomes a valid example to be repeated in other circumstances to revive a community and transform unhealthy places into places capable of uniting, albeit linked by an interest - also - economic.

San Giovanni Rotondo - The park

One of a kind: DOP buffalo mozzarella from Campania made in Puglia. The Gargano National Park is home to a dairy dedicated to the production of an excellent product. The application of the rigid protocol necessary for the recognition of the brand includes the exception that transforms a simple mozzarella into a very respectable product.

This reason, combined with the curious localization of production, probably led Eataly to include the product in its selection of typical products.

Bellizzi - Dairy Mail La Favorita

The current President of the Consortium for the Protection of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP has chosen to continue the family tradition, so in 1968 he began his own business and chose to continue various processes done as they once were. Here tradition takes over and becomes a founding element of an activity that turns manual skills into a true art.

Buffalo Mozzarella online

It's difficult to choose which one to bring to the table, it's complicated to choose the best Italian buffalo mozzarella, you need to taste them to then decree your personal ranking. Buffalo mozzarella is that product capable of conquering from the moment it is cut, even before tasting it and just by looking at it.

Carne Genuina offers a buffalo mozzarella made on a dedicated farm, the desire to keep the feeling of tradition intact and choose something capable of transforming milk into a healthy product is the motivation for the choice. The breeding of the buffalo herd is located near a river, in a completely natural setting, in short, our choice falls on the indissoluble link between nature and tradition.