How is mozzarella made and what should it be? Which cheese category mozzarella belong to - soft, young or pickled - is thought of anywhere, but not in Italy. They say: "Cheese is cheese, and mozzarella is mozzarella."
Pick your recipe
Perhaps such a proud or, conversely, ironic definition she received due to the timing of production. After all, ripening any other cheese requires a lot of time: parmesan, for example, is prepared for a year, grana padano - a year and a half. And to make mozzarella from milk, it will take only five to six hours.
The classic mozzarella, mozzarella di bufala, is made from black buffalo milk. It is more dense and fatty, and the cheese from it is obtained with a bright, rich, slightly salty taste. Unfortunately, this mozzarella is not stored for long, only one day, and therefore you can try it only in Italy. Well, those who are not going to the Apennine Peninsula so far will have to be content with snow-white balls in saline.
Mozzarella is also made from cow's milk. In Italy it is called the "milk flower", fior di latte, and love no less. It is more fresh to taste, but very tender.
Good fresh mozzarella should be:
1. Snow-white. A yellow hue is found only in mozzarella, which was made from poor-quality milk or stored incorrectly.
2. Elastic. The right mozzarella jumps out of the box like a ping pong ball. It is not stiff and does not fall apart like cottage cheese.
3. Smooth. A dry crust is unacceptable, mozzarella balls should shine. And if you cut them, then a little liquid will flow out.
4. Layered inside. There should be no air bubbles or holes in the cut.
5. With a small tubercle in the place where the head was torn off from the total mass.
6. Melting in the mouth.
To taste, mozzarella, cooked in accordance with all the rules, is freshish, with a slight acidity, very pleasant and tender. Care must be taken to ensure that the integrity of the package is not impaired and that there is enough brine in the box or bag. Without it, the cheese dries instantly. That is why manufacturers advise: when opening the package, do not pour out the liquid. Better pour into a jar and put not eaten balls there. Store them no more than two days on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Cooking with mozzarella is a pleasure. Firstly, it melts perfectly, spreading over the dish in a uniform layer. Secondly, she doesn’t have a strong taste and smell, which means that the cheese is suitable for almost any dish. Italians eat it in completely different combinations. For example, with olives and white wine. Or with berries and sweet vermouth. But the ideal companions of mozzarella were and remain tomatoes and basil, it is from these three ingredients that a classic Italian caprese appetizer is prepared.
Mozzarella only at first glance gives the impression of a very light cheese. In fact, its fat content can reach 40%, calories - 300 kilocalories per 100 grams.
Mozzarella is an expensive cheese. To produce one ball the size of an adult's fist requires about 5 liters of milk.
This cheese has several types: large balls of mozzarella called bocconcini; small, the size of a sweet cherry - ciliegini; tiny, pea-sized, perlini; braided - mozzarella treccia; smoked - mozzarella affumicata.