Mozzarella
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Cheese Mozzarella is an Italian fresh cheese made from water buffalo (chiefly in Italy) or cow's milk, the second used for most types of pizza or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in Insalata caprese. It is also served alone.
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Types
The Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a particular type of this mozzarella, it's the best for flavour or quality and it's protected by European DOP. It's a raw material in original neapolitan Pizza instead of mozzarella made with cow's milk.
Mozzarella is available fresh, it is usually rolled in the shape of a ball, about the size of softball and soaked in salted water until sold.
It's called Fior di latte if the structure is more compact and this kind of mozzarella it's used to prepare dishes cooked in the oven for example lasagna.
It's could be also twisted to form a plait called "treccia" with different lengths.
It is also available smoked (also called provola), and reduced-moisture packaged varieties. To preserve natural consistency (for no more than a couple of days), fresh mozzarella is delivered in its own liquid (whey).
In this last period there are a lot of different other types like "stuffed mozzarella", filled with olives and cooked or raw ham.
Production
The production of mozzarella involves the mixture of curd with heated whey, followed by stretching and kneading to produce a delicate consistency -- this process is generally known as pasta filata. According to the Mozzarella di Bufala trade association, "The cheesemaker kneads it with his hands, like a baker making bread, until he obtains a smooth, shiny paste, a strand of which he pulls out and lops off, forming the individual mozzarella." Mozzarella di Bufala Campana trade organization (Retrieved May 8, 2005) It is then typically formed into ball shapes or in plait. In Italy, a "rubbery" consistency is generally considered not satisfactory; the cheese is expected to be softer.
The origin of the name
It has been said that the name "mozzarella", which is clearly derived from southern Italian dialects, was the diminuitive form of mozza (cut), or mozzare (to cut off) derived from the method of working. Other theories describe its origins as a minor preparation of "scamozza" (Scamorza cheese), which in its turn probably derives from "scamozzata" ("without a shirt"), with allusion to the fact that these cheeses have no hard surface covering typical of a dry cured cheese.
It is alternatively argued that the cheese originated in a 12th century monastery by Monsignor Alicandri, whose members gave out homemade "mozza" or "provatura" on bread to visitors. These handouts were probably buffalo-milk "ricotta", from which modern mozzarella probably developed as a by-product. The term "mozzarella" is mentioned in cookbooks dating from the 16th century.
Nutritional data
Amount of nutrient in 100g of edible portion
Food: Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk
- Protein: 22.17 g
- Fats: 22.35 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.19 g
- Energy: 300 kcal
- Sugars, total: 1.03 g
- Calcium, Ca: 505 mg
- Phosphorus, P: 354 mg
- Potassium, K: 76 mg
- Sodium, Na: 627 mg
See also
External links
eo:Mocarelo fr:Mozzarella ko:모차렐라 it:Mozzarella nl:Mozzarella ja:モッツァレッラ pl:Mozzarella pt:Mussarela ru:Моцарелла sv:Mozzarella