L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano W hat could b e m o r e emblem- a t i c o f Italy than a pizza margherita, small pools of fresh mozzarella bubbling and lightly brown, starkly contrasted against a bright red tomato palette, a lone basil leaf or two provid- ing a pop of dark green? On average, an Italian consumes about 23 kilos of cheese per year. Of that, mozzarella has a reputation for being the most consumed cheese in Italy and the most widely exported internationally. With its stretch, mild flavor, and adaptability to pizza and pasta dishes, it's no surprise that it's perhaps the world's favorite cheese. M o z z a r e l l a a c t u a l l y belongs to the category of cheese known as pasta fila- ta, or stretched curd cheese in English. And while many of us may be content to go no f u r t h e r t h a n e a t i n g t h i s beloved dairy delicacy (with reason—it's delicious!), there is more to explore in the Ital- ian world of pasta filata: Ital- ians have been doing it for decades! Here is a primer on these cheeses, how they are made, and how they can best be consumed. For starters, pasta filata refers to cheeses that are made by forming a curd that is heated to between 70 and 80℃ (158 and 194℉), then stretched to a softer and deli- cate consistency. This elastic paste is kneaded like fresh pasta dough while it's hot. Usually, these cheeses are higher in both fat and mois- ture content. They also tend to have a short shelf life and should be consumed within days of production. In America, mozzarella refers to the stretchy white cheese. But in Italy, moz- zarella is much more. The word derives from mozzatu- ra, which refers to the pulling off of a part of the white dairy dough to form a small ball, or piece of cheese. While it can be made from various types of animal's milk, it's most commonly made from cow or buffalo milk, and it's usually easy to know what type it is by looking at the packaging or asking the supplier from whom you purchase it. The mozzarella that typi- cally tops Neapolitan pizzas? It's known in shorthand as fior di latte in Italy. Why? Because it's made from cow's milk instead of buffalo. While it can be used for cooking and eating, generally fior di latte is found on pizza, mozzarella i n c a r r o z z a , o r e v e n i n a pasta dish. Cow's milk cheese is lower in protein and fat, retains its form, and loses less moisture when heated than its buffalo milk cousin. Buffalo milk mozzarella holds up better raw, and, as such, may be found sliced alongside a tomato in a cap- rese salad. Anything in Italy labeled as buffalo milk moz- zarella must technically be made with at least 50% buffa- lo milk (yes, it can also have cow's milk mixed in). Howev- er, the famous mozzarella di bufala from Campania has achieved PDO status and not only is it made in a very specific region, it is made exclusively from buffalo milk from cows in that area. Simi- larly, the fior di latte Gioia del Colle is a mozzarella h a i l i n g f r o m t h e B a r i province in Apulia and is the only cow's milk mozzarella to have achieved PDO status. Again, mozzarella is just one example of a pasta filata c h e e s e . P r o v o l a a n d scamorza are another pair of related cheeses—often con- fused with one another—that are also heated and stretched by hand. Provola, (deriving from the word prova, or the f i r s t p u l l , o r s a m p l i n g o f pasta filata from a batch of cheese) is a fresh cheese that is prepared similar to moz- zarella, and then conserved in water until it's ready to be eaten. Scamorza, deriving from the word scamozzare, or to "cut or remove a part" was supposedly created with a batch of provola gone awry. It is a semi-raw cheese that, after being hand-pulled in hot water, is brined in cool water and then ripened or stewed. It's then dried out for a couple of days to one week, allowing it to lose some of its moisture. Provola is often whiter in appearance than the slightly darker scamorza, and both have an outer crust. They both have a bulbous look, with a smaller head sit- ting atop a larger "body," o f t e n r e s e m b l i n g a p e a r shape. These cheeses can be made and eaten plain or affu- micata, smoked, in a panino, or even melted in a pasta dish. Scamorza can also be served up as slices of warm, grilled cheese. Caciocavallo and pro- volone are another pair of pasta filata cheeses that are o f t e n c o n f u s e d w i t h e a c h other. The main difference between them, besides their shapes, is that provolone tends to be aged longer and is a d r i e r a n d s l i g h t l y m o r e pungent cheese. Caciocavallo often takes the form of a full, round body topped with a small head due to the string that holds it up. Provolone comes in larger logs or sala- mi-like shapes. While both are made from cow's milk and originally hail from areas in southern Italy, today the more famous Provolone del Monaco PDO comes from northern Italy! These firmer cheeses hold up well in panini, but can also be eaten in dishes like caciocavallo alla piastra, or cheese slices grilled over the stove and eaten with bread or jam. The last pair of Italy's most famous pasta filata are again r e l a t e d — b u r r a t a a n d stracciatella. In fact, one contains the other. Burrata, the most famous of which hails from Andria, in Apulia, is essentially a stracciatella that is encased in a thin layer of cow's milk mozzarella. What is stracciatella then? It's the ooey, gooey mix of stretched cow's milk cheese and cream. These cheeses add a nice, creamy touch that mellow out heat and spicy f l a v o r s , e x p l a i n i n g w h y they're popular on dishes like the fiery pasta all'assassina. Whether topping a pizza, sliced and paired with salumi in a sandwich, or eaten with a fork or spoon so as not to lose a bit of cream with each bite, these Italian pasta filata cheese cousins will make any mouth water. Do as the Ital- ians do and make these a reg- ular part of your diet! Pasta filata: the cheesy world of mozzarella, scamorza and more JESSICA S. LEVY Scamorza, a famous pasta filata cheese with typical bulbous shape (Photo: Oxana Medvedeva/Dreamstime) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED

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