Mozzarella vs Mozzarella di Bufala Campana

Facts

Milk: Cow
Texture: Fresh
Type: Stretched curd
Rind: No rind
Country: Italy
Place: Southern Italy

Mozzarella is a stretched-curd cheese. The cow's-milk cheese is fior di latte. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a separate cheese, made from water buffalo milk, when it carries that protected name.

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, field guide plate

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, photographed

Facts

Milk: Water buffalo
Texture: Fresh
Type: Stretched curd
Rind: No rind
Country: Italy
Place: Campania
Status: PDO

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a fresh stretched-curd cheese from Campania, in southern Italy. It is made from the milk of water buffalo, and that milk is part of its identity. The name is protected, so a ball sold under the full name must come from the defined area and follow the agreed method. The cheese is white, moist, and soft, with a thin skin and a milky center. It is not the same food as the cow's-milk mozzarella common in many countries.