Not all Mozzarella cheese is created equal. We usually associate Mozzarella cheese with the yellow stringy and not very flavorful variety used on a typical pizza. However, the true Italian version is made from the rich milk of the Water Buffalo.
Better grocery stores and specialty cheese shops regularly import fresh Mozzarella di Buffala from Italy. The shelf life of this cheese is only good for no more than four days. Some American producers of Buffalo Mozzarella combine Buffalo milk with Cow milk. Either way, the white round balls of Buffalo Mozzarella are creamier and sweeter than the yellow and more elastic cheese made from cow's milk. Better ingredients make better food.
If you buy a cheese pizza from a pizza shop, and it is topped with a pool of grease, that is an indicator that they use a cheaper, higher fat content of the yellow stringy Mozzarella cheese. The better shops use a high quality, lower fat cheese. Because the traditional cheese component of a pizza may be the most costly part of the product, high volume users are now buying cheese futures. The very best use fresh, lower fat white Buffalo Mozzarella. You get what you pay for.
The good stuff is also ideal for fresh antipasti trays, cold salads, and is well worth the extra cost. Buffalo Mozzarella balls are sold in either brine or oil. You can make your own, but it is a lot of work. A Pizza shop owner friend of mine makes his own Mozzarella because he said his brother has high cholesterol. Next time you buy a pizza, ask if they make their own cheese. Don't be shy. Life is short, so live it up.
