there were two people who met, fell in love and got married. Instead of presents, they asked for help honeymooning in Italy. This is our site all about our families adventure. We hope it will inspire you to love Italy just as much we do!

The cheese shop.

Pina took us to her cousin's cheese shop which was a delightful surprise. We have never tasted mozzarella like this before! Mozzarella at it's best is wonderful; Mild, fragrant, delicate - combined with tomato, fresh basil and good olive oil it is a summer meal in itself. Traditionally made in southern Italy from the milk of water buffaloes it is now made worldwide from cow's milk.

There is no replacement for Mozzarella made in southern Italy and Mozzarella made elsewhere has varying degrees of success. Special food sections will carry it, packaged in its own salty water. I have eaten mozzarella in the States and it tastes nothing like the Italian variety.

The guys at the shop.

Pina's cousin was so friendly and his smile was so outrageously infectious that we found ourselves smiling too. When we arrived at the store they were in the process of making the mozzarella. They had already mixed the heated whey with crud and they were stretching and kneading the mixture to produce the delectate consistency that is mozzarella.

According to the Mozzarella di Bufala trade association, "The cheese maker 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."

The rubbery consistency that we expect our mozzarella to feel like in the States would not pass in Italy. But would be rejected as substandard. Only the most delicate and softly kneaded cheese is considered good mozzarella.

Mozzarella

Mozzarella is available fresh; it is usually rolled in the shape of a small ball and soaked in salted water until sold. Fiordilatte is used to distinguish the mozzarella made from cow's milk from that made from buffalo's milk. Another difference is that Fiordilatte has more fats and less water. This makes it more suitable as a basic component for pizza, while mozzarella would almost completely melt in whey when baked.

When slightly desiccated, the structure gets more compact; then it's better used to prepare dishes cooked in the oven, for example lasagna. When twisted to form a plait it is called treccia. It is also available in smoked (called provola) and reduced-moisture packaged varieties.

Lost Flavour

The Mozzarella rapidly lost its Italian flavor once stuffed into our suitcases for the flight home. To preserve a natural consistency (for no more than a couple of days), fresh mozzarella has to be delivered in its own liquid (whey). So despite all our oohing and awing about the great taste of real Italian mozzarella, none of our freinds believed us when we got home and shared the cheese with them. They all said with out exception;

"Tastes like what I get at the store."

Ssshhh. Sometimes you just have to be there.