Where and when did the term mozzarella originate? Facts and history

In Italy, rivers of  buffalo milk flow to produce tons of  Mozzarella each year, the typical stretched-curd cheese traditionally made in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno, which has conquered the world with its extraordinary flavor. But one cannot speak of mozzarella without also delving into the history of the  buffalo and its arrival in Italy, and the more one searches through the annals of historical texts, the more the story becomes a true zoological mystery, whose origins are vaguely lost in a labyrinth of citations. According to some medieval texts, the buffalo appeared in Italy as early as the Lombard era, during the famous barbarian invasions of the 6th century. Others, however, attribute its introduction to the Norman domination when, around the year 1000, the kings recognized the importance of this animal brought to Sicily by the Arabs with the invasion of the Saracens and Moors in the 10th century. Not to mention the fossil finds in the Roman countryside and on the island of Pianosa, in the Tuscan archipelago, which further shroud the life of these splendid animals in mystery.

However, the true spread and stabilization of this species occurred in the 11th century, during the Swabian era, in the marshy lands of Campania, in the coastal plains of the lower Tyrrhenian side – the Volturno and Sele Plains, which provided a perfect environment for buffalo farming. Local populations quickly learned to use them not only for milk and cheese production and for consuming their meat, but even as working animals and for transporting war machines for the defense of Salerno. Just a century later, from the documents of the Monks of the San Lorenzo in Capua monastery, it is learned of their custom of preparing a cheese named mozza or provatura (in case of smoking) which, with bread, was offered to feed pilgrims who reached the Convent in procession.

Such was their usefulness that in the 15th century, the feudal lords of the Papal State were legally required to dedicate a portion of their possessions to the grazing of these animals. During these centuries, both mozza and provatura were regularly produced and sold with significant trade between the communities of Salerno and Naples, and smoking was precisely intended to allow for a longer preservation of the cheese.
The birth of the "bufalare" also dates back to this same period, typical circular shelters for buffaloes also equipped for milk processing.
But it was not until 1570 that the term mozzarella was coined, as reported in a recipe book by Bartolomeo Scappi, cook to the papal court.
With the Bourbons who were the first to invest in buffalo mozzarella, creating a huge farm with a dairy for milk processing, mozzarella became a flagship product of Campania. The breeders of that period are also credited with the custom of noting in a stable register the events related to the  history of buffaloes at their birth, after which they were given a name that often honored figures of the Bourbon Court.
Then came the Spanish and the hunting of buffaloes for real drives in the Volturno and Sele plains. With the unification of Italy, Aversa also became a major center of production and trade.
Today, the  Piana del Sele and the cities of Capaccio – Paestum, Eboli, and Battipaglia remain the most prized and internationally recognized production area.

Where does the word mozzarella come from?

The name mozzarella derives from the practice of  "mozzare" (cutting off), a local expression referring to the manual operation of strangling the hank of  hand-stretched curd to detach the individual  bocconcini. Today, not all dairies practice this procedure in the traditional way. Sophisticated machinery has taken over, allowing for a high production of mozzarella that would be impossible for a single person to maintain in the same quantities and in reduced time.

Buffalo Mozzarella from Campania

 Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is the only mozzarella on the market to have obtained European  DOP recognition. The designation of origin "Mozzarella di bufala" is only recognized for cheese produced in the geographical area of reference of the production specification. To obtain the DOP, producing companies must associate with the Consortium and produce the cheese exclusively with milk from buffaloes raised in the municipalities indicated by the official certifying body.

Mozzarella or Treccia? All the formats of this Campanian specialty

Among the various processing methods for Buffalo Mozzarella on the market, Treccia is a particular braided processing of stretched curd that presents itself to the sense of smell with the characteristic aroma given by lactic ferments and a delicate flavor. Soft to the taste and with an enveloping flavor, it is one of the specialties of the dairies in the area. But it is only one of the characteristic formats of this product, which can be found in the form of ciliegine (small cherries), simple bocconcini (small bites) or immersed in cream, and in the classic round shape. The world of buffalo mozzarella is a journey from which one would never want to return.