Buffalo mozzarella

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, buffalo mozzarella, is an Italian cheese product from water buffalo milk, which is traditionally produced in Campania today but also in other regions of southern Italy. The term mozzarella derives from the production: the " mozzatura " ( " Teeing Off, cutting by hand" ) are separated from the curd, the individual servings. It is produced in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno, and in some municipalities in the provinces of Naples, Benevento, Frosinone and Latina.

History

Originally, the buffalo mozzarella is probably from Aversa, the first Norman County in Italy. The first surviving document that mentions the mozzarella from Aversa, goes back to the beginning of the 15th century. Allegedly offered the monks of the Abbey " San Lorenzo ad Septinum " at the gates Aversas the members of the " Capitolo " ( chapter), who carried out an annual procession there, a " Mozza " ( cut off piece ) of the cheese with a piece of bread to.

Some assumptions about the origin of mozzarella give the Normans as its inventor. According to other sources, it was the Anjou.

Since the 1990s, secures with EC Regulation. No 1107/96 granted to DOP recognition of the quality of under the name Mozzarella di Bufala Campana gebrachtem in trade cheeses and also defines the area in which this should be prepared.

A larger version of the cheese is called Mozzarellone Aversane ( " large mozzarella from Aversa ").

Mozzarella crisis in 2007

A large amount of expensive buffalo mozzarella comes after a report in the daily newspaper La Repubblica back on fraud and forgery by the Mafia. After 2007, the authorities had tightened controls on breeding facilities, tens of thousands of buffaloes were found primarily in the province of Caserta, which were infected with brucellosis bacteria. A health risk to consumers was that in the manufactured according to specification DOP cheese in the processing temperatures only 33-36 degrees are provided, the causative agent of brucellosis but are rendered harmless only when heated to 71.7 degrees. Tighter controls through a newly opened Institute of Food Safety in the province of Caserta to ensure the quality of the cheese.

Overall, there were 32,000 infected animals, 2007, there were in Italy about 400,000 water buffalo. The diseased buffalo should now be slaughtered. In order to break the resistance of the breeder, the special commissioner of the government, Andrea Cozzolino, must spend 66 million euros in compensation. For the extent of the disease the Turin daily La Stampa makes the rule of the Camorra responsible, " a large proportion of farms of Caserta is directly or indirectly controlled by the Camorra, which has prevented the eradication of evil in the deed." For example, threatened the Camorra veterinarians, falsified test results and hid sick buffalo. The judge Antonio Pepe already had several breeders and veterinarians arrest.

Mozzarella crisis in 2008

In March 2008, a scandal shook one more time confidence in the quality of the cheese. When controls were slightly exceeded acceptable levels for dioxins of 170 dairies to Naples around in 25. Thereupon brought on March 24, South Korea and Japan a day later also an import ban on buffalo mozzarella, with Japan, however, asked for a list of affected companies to allow other producers to import. The sale went in the two preceding months back already by 35 percent. Experts suggest that the animals might have eaten the contaminated grass near illegal landfills. Since the garbage business is controlled by the Camorra clan, there was until 2008 no incinerator in the region of Campania and only five plants throughout the Mezzogiorno, so that household waste and hazardous waste buried or piled up illegally.