Pull-apart, oozy-smooshy – that’s how a good mozzarella or burrata should be, says cheese expert Patrick McGuigan. He separates the pillowy winners from the bouncy-ball losers
Italians love mozzarella so much they queue outside their local latteria to get it fresh from the vat. It’s not so easy in Britain, where shelves are filled with long-life imitations so rubbery you could bounce them round the kitchen. But with some know-how, it’s possible to find the real fresh formaggi.
SPIN DOCTORS
Mozzarella is part of the ‘pasta filata’ (spun paste) family of cheeses, which includes everything from burrata to provolone. These cheeses are made by stretching curd in hot water until it’s silky and elastic. It’s then twisted into various shapes, most famously balls of mozzarella. The same method is used for bocconcini (bite-size balls), ciliegine (cherry-size) and treccia (braided).
Cow’s milk mozzarella, known as ‘fior de latte’ (flower of milk), is good for cooking – it tends to be drier and melts well. But rich, creamy buffalo mozzarella is king in salads and starters because of its high butterfat content – twice that of cow’s milk.
Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a protected (not vegetarian) cheese made to strict rules in southern Italy, is worth seeking out – look for Garofalo and M&S brands. Also good are buffalo mozzarella from British makers such as Laverstoke Farm (vegetarian, from Ocado) and Buffalicious (buffaliciousuk.com), which uses raw milk from its own buffaloes in Somerset and sells the fresh stuff in a shop next to the dairy.
The best mozzarella has a thin, tight skin with a slightly spongey core that’s neither soft nor rubbery. The flavour should be sweet and milky with a lactic tang. It’s the perfect creamy canvas for peppery olive oil and sweet tomatoes.
OOZIER STILL
Burrata, mozzarella’s sexier cousin, has stolen the hearts of British chefs. A mozzarella pouch filled with double cream and mozzarella ribbons (the mix is called ‘straciatella’), the cheese has an oozy charm and is an amazing carrier of flavours.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s restaurant Nopi tops burrata with coriander seeds, herbs and blood orange, while Angela Hartnett serves it with citrus salad and pistachios at Michelin-starred Murano.
Straciatella is available as a standalone product in tubs (online from La Latteria in London) and is great on sourdough and roasted vegetables. Look out for the Natoora brand, available at Ocado.
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
Beyond these sweet young things, there are also aged pasta filata cheeses. Scamorza is strung up for several weeks
