2 Mozzarella cheese almost died out
A traditionally southern Italian cheese, mozzarella is made from the milk of the water buffalo rather than from cows. Mozzarella di bufala (or buffalo mozzarella) is protected under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), and such PDO-status mozzarella may only be produced in the select regions of Campania, Lazio, Apulia, and Molise. This is made from buffalo milk, rennet, salt, and milk enzymes, and boasts a soft, slightly rubbery texture, with a mild flavour that is beloved by many.
But this cheese was once in danger of dying out. Water buffalos are not native to Italy, and though theories on the animal’s introduction vary, it is accepted by the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (that’s the Consortium for the Protection of Buffalo Mozzarella of Campania for the uninitiated) that it was the Arabs who first brought the water buffalo to Sicily during their rule. After they were conquered by the Normans in the eleventh century, the water buffalo was then introduced to Campania and other southern Italian regions, where their milk was used for cheese-making.
However, Italy’s buffalo herds were eradicated in the Second World War, which necessitated the shift of mozzarella production to using cow’s milk instead. It was only until after the war, when more water buffalo were brought in from India, that the herds were revived and buffalo mozzarella flourished again. To think that we almost would not have been able to enjoy the beauty of a good mozzarella or burrata!