It all starts with the Asian Buffalo, brought to Italy by the Goths, as they migrated southwest during the waning years of the Roman empire. After the fall of the empire, the rivers south of Naples began to silted up, and malaria drove the population away leaving the area abandoned. In the 18th century, when the region began to re-populate, the wild Buffaloes were seen wandering around the ruined Greek and Roman temples at Paestum. They were re-domesticated, and have become the foundation of today's booming Campania cheese industry.Italian Mozzarella can be made from both pasteurized and non-pasteurized buffalo milk and cow's milk. Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala made with non-pasteurized milk and eaten the day it was made is a great experience.
The distinguishing characteristics of mozzarella di bufala are its soft, extremely moist, texture, and its unique, profound taste. The taste of milk from a water buffalo is sui generis; and it is haunting. Fiordilatte (cows milk), by comparison, has less moisture, is consequently more firm, and it is extremely mild. The taste of fiordilatte is fresh and clean, but it is virtually without taste. Mozzarella di bufala, on the other hand, is immensely flavorful, rich in butterfat and very satisfying.
