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A pasta filata cheese — the curd is heated and stretched, which gives it that layered, slightly stringy texture — sold wet, in whey or brine, and eaten within days. It is a completely different ingredient from the dry low-moisture mozzarella sold shredded for pizza, and the two are not interchangeable.
The three you will meet
- Mozzarella di bufala campana — water buffalo milk, DOP-protected, richer, tangier, softer. The best of the three and the most expensive.
- Fior di latte — cow's milk, milder and firmer. The everyday choice.
- Burrata — a mozzarella shell filled with cream and curd shreds. Serve whole, torn at the table, and never in a packed lunch.
Low-moisture mozzarella belongs on Deep-Dish Pizza and other cooked dishes; in a cold salad it is rubbery and bland.
In cold food
- Drain and salt it. It sits in liquid, and that liquid will end up in your bread or dressing. Slice, lay on a towel, salt lightly, ten minutes.
- Tear, do not cut, for salads. The ragged surface holds oil where a clean cut face sheds it.
- Room temperature, always. Fridge-cold mozzarella tastes of almost nothing. Half an hour out makes an enormous difference.
- In a sandwich it doubles as the moisture barrier between wet filling and bread — see caprese sandwich and italian sub.
Keeping
In its liquid, 3–5 days and no longer; it sours. Once opened, keep it submerged. It does not freeze.
Elsewhere on the site
Used in: caprese sandwich · farro salad · cold pasta salad · italian sub
Related: feta · cheese · Dairy Products · pesto