According to some studies, mozzarella originated in campania a region is southern italy, not from the local people, but from the Normans who invaded southern italy in the 11th Century. The most prized mozzarella comes from buffala mozzarella milk. It was the Normans who brought these animals to the campania region, so it is said but some would argue differently.

For many years I have been eating mozzarella di buffala, at least I thought so. There was a time when mozzarella cheese was exclusively sold locally in campania, however these days it is shipped and sold almost everywhere.

Most of us have tasted it all over the globe, thanks or no-thanks to the mozzarella cheese consortium. They have leveraged the global market by permitting the shipment of mozzarella to any nook and cranny, wherever there are customers. It is a shame that the world is being fooled by vendors, and restaurants that serve a product that has little to do with mozzarella di buffala.

Our first try of mozzarella was a small a mouth sized piece named Cardinali, I cannot describe the feeling in words, we felt overwhelmed, we now understand that the mozzarella we get served outside of Italy, has little to do with the real mozzarella made in Campania. Real mozzarella has a consistency of being chewy when it is first made, it oozes with milk that seeps out.

The treccia mozzarella is commonly found in the shape of a treccia, or “braid”, in which the two ends of the cheese are woven together to form one long piece. Mozzarella in this shape can weigh up to 3 kg or be custom-made to any size.

Mozzarella comes in all different sizes and shapes, you have bocconcini, cardinali, aversana, and trecce, so next time in Napoli take a ride to try the world’s finest mozzarella di buffala @ vanullo tenuta.