Cheesy? Let's talk about Cheese: Mozzarella
Posted by Ann Alejandro on
Everybody seems to love cheese. This is basically the reason why such a wide variety of them have been created, so they can suit the cuisine with which they are served. Because there are so many kinds of cheeses, let's just talk about the types or kinds of cheeses step-by-step in a series of articles. For now, let's first talk about - Mozzarella.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE is a sliceable curd cheese originating in Italy. This is made from the milk of water buffalos and its flavor is highly prized. Mozzarella cheese is not aged like most cheeses and is actually best when eaten within hours of its making. The process of making mozzarella is called pasta filata which means "spun paste". This is a method or a technique in making Italian cheeses which in English, is also known as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses. The milk is incubated with a whey starter containing thermophilic bacteria. Then rennet is added to form the curds. The curds are heated in water or whey until they form strings (hence the term "string cheese") and become elastic in texture. The curds are stretched, kneaded until smooth, and then formed into round balls to make fresh mozzarella cheese.
Fresh Mozzarella cheese is one of those easy-to-make-at-home cheeses and is used in making a variety of recipes including salads, meats, seafood, and vegetables.
Mozzarella Substitutes
More common substitutes vary depending on the purpose. Most people use mozzarella for melting while Muenster and Swiss cheese when going for flavor, and sharp Cheddar or Parmesan to add some sharpness to it.
Both mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese are types of cheese that show differences between them when it comes to the methods of their preparation, their nutrient content and the like.
Texture and Milk Composition
Cheddar cheese is very hard on its texture. On the other hand, mozzarella cheese is in the semi-soft of texture. Although using milk is the preparation of both varieties, true Mozzarella cheese is made of milk from water buffalo and this is often labeled as Mozzarella di Bufala. These water buffalos are herded only in few countries such as Italy and Bulgaria. You may start calculating the math and realize how expensive a real mozzarella costs which are the reason why most Mozzarella now is made from cow's milk. Meanwhile, the milk of cows is usually used for the preparation of cheddar cheese.
Parmesan cheese, on the other hand, is an example of a hard cheese. It is not cheap because it has been kept in storage for many months. It is known for its very strong flavor. (We will talk about these other cheeses step-by-step in the coming articles).
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