mozzarella

Mozzarella, derived from the southern Italian dialects spoken in Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Lazio, and Marche, is the diminutive form of mozza, 'cut', or mozzare, 'to cut off', derived from the method of working. The term is first mentioned in 1570, cited in a cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, reading "milk cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and milk". An earlier reference of Monsignor Alicandri is also often cited as describing mozzarella, which states that in the 12th century the Monastery of San Lorenzo, in Capua, Campania, Alicandri offered pilgrims a piece of bread with mozza.

Fresh mozzarella has been recognised as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) since 1996 in the European Union. It is usually sold rolled into a ball that weighs around 90 grams (3 oz) and measures about 6 cm (2+1⁄2 in) in diameter, although they may be as large as 1 kg (2 lb) and have a diameter around 12 cm (4+1⁄2 in). It is soaked in salt water (brine) or whey when being stored.
In Italy, the cheese is produced nationwide using Italian buffalo's milk under the government's official name mozzarella di latte di bufala, because Italian buffalo are present in all regions. Only selected mozzarella di bufala campana PDO is a style made from the milk of Italian buffalo raised in designated areas of Campania, Lazio, Apulia, and Molise. Unlike other mozzarellas—50% of whose production derives from non-Italian and often semi-coagulated milk—it holds the status of a protected designation of origin (PDO: 1996) under European Union law and UK law.
A denser mozzarella is made by adding citric acid and partly drying (desiccated). This is often used to prepare baked dishes, such as lasagna and pizza.

Sizes and shapes

Fresh mozzarella balls are made in multiple sizes for various uses; often the name refers to the size.
Ovolini are about the size of a hen's egg, and may be served whole as part of a composed salad or sliced for topping a small sandwich such as a slider. Ciliegine ('small cherries') are cherry-sized. Perlene are the smallest commercially produced and are often added to salads or hot soups and pasta dishes just before serving. These balls are packaged in whey or water, have a spongy texture, and absorb flavours.
Bocconcini ('small mouthful'), sometimes called uova di bufala ('buffalo eggs'), are approximately bite-sized; a common use is alternating them with…

After the curd heals, it is further cut into 1–1.5 cm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) pieces. The curds are stirred and heated to separate the curds from the whey. The whey is then drained from the curds and the curds are placed in a hoop to form a solid mass. The curd mass is left until the pH is at around 5.2–5.5, which is the point when the cheese can be stretched and kneaded to produce a delicate consistency—this process is generally known as pasta filata. According to the mozzarella di bufala campana trade association, "The cheese-maker kneads it with his hands... until he obtains a smooth, shiny paste, a strand of which he pulls out and lops off, forming individual mozzarella."
Large quantities of mozzarella are exported internationally.

Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day it is made, and food writer Arthur Schwartz describes that a Neapolitan will not eat day-old mozzarella without further processing—frying or baking into a casserole or pasta. Despite this, manufacturers market the cheese as having a week-long shelf life. As mozzarella is kept, it develops a sour flavour and softens, a process which is slower for larger cheeses.
Within the city of Naples, there is a belief among part of the populace that the best mozzarella has "relaxed"; softened in the hours after being made. Schwartz reports that this does not seem to be believed by Campanians who live in the country, closer to dairy farms where the cheese is produced, where the cheese can be easily purchased while still firm.
Low-moisture mozzarella can be kept refrigerated for up to a month, although some shredded low-moisture mozzarella is sold with a shelf life of up to six months.