Mozzarella Cheese: A Short History

Mozzarella cheese is one of the most popular cheeses across the world. Americans generally think of it when it comes to Italian food, pizza in particular, but that is not the only use. Mozzarella has become increasingly popular throughout the years and has changed slightly to become more accessible to the general public. Most people know that mozzarella comes from Italy but in many cases that is the extent of their knowledge. Although in some ways its history is similar to that of other cheeses, mozzarella is also unique. No one is sure exactly how it was first created but there are theories that are more popular than others.

By Accident

One of the rumors about the history of mozzarella cheese is that it is one of the many cheeses that were created by accident (such as cheese curds). The story goes that a factory somewhere near Naples, Italy was making cheese curds but somehow the curds got knocked over, landing in a bucket of hot water. The legend says that the resulting cheese was so delicious and had such a good consistency that the factory sought to reproduce it. It slowly gained in popularity until it reached the presence that it has worldwide today.

Buffalo

Traditionally, mozzarella was made using buffalo milk. Water buffalo had been raised in Italy since the 12th century so there was a large supply of water buffalo milk, making it the ideal liquid to make cheese. However, the amount of herds of these animals dropped throughout the years, especially in the 1930s and 1940s. This is when manufacturers began switching from making mozzarella with buffalo milk to with cow’s milk as that was more readily available. Despite that, it is still possibly to find traditional mozzarella made with water buffalo milk, although it is not produced in as large of numbers, making it harder to find and more expensive.

Variations

Although when it was first produced, there were not many options in terms of different types of mozzarella cheese, that is not the case today. Instead of simply having mozzarella made from water buffalo milk or cow’s milk, there are further variations such as using both pasteurized and unpasteurized milk, skim milk (for low moisture mozzarella) and even smoked mozzarella (which is smoked). To see the widest varieties of mozzarella, you should either visit a specialty cheese website or make a trip to Italy and clearly the second option would be a great deal more expensive.

Today’s Production

Today you can find mozzarella cheese almost everywhere in the world, although it is more difficult to find certain varieties. Despite the widespread production of mozzarella if you want to find the best gourmet mozzarella (or the best buffalo mozzarella) you should look in the Naples area, specifically just south of the city. There are many small factories in Caserta and Battipaglia which produce fresh buffalo mozzarella each day and locals will make sure to go there for their cheese. The good news is that with the internet, you can still find high quality mozzarella no matter where you live.