I am staying in the Sorrento/Positano area for three weeks June/July. Where can we buy mozz di bufala direct from the producers in the area?

Val, ask this question at the desk of your hotel.

If you have access to a car, take a drive to Paestum. You will take the ss18 from the autostrada. Along the way you will pass more mozzarella producers than you ever imagined. Look for the "ABC" to find traditional producers. Many will make a sandwich for you. the wonderful producer we stopped at made us prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches. There are also many farm stands where you can get fruit and vegetables.

Dean: Help with my uncultivated palate! I've tried my darndest to appreciate M di B, bought at a top Italian deli here in So Cal. I find it nice and creamy, but bland and flavorless. What's the big deal? Am I missing something, or does it lose something in traveling from Italy to here? Thanks. Sal

Sal, for what it's worth, your description of it as nice and creamy, but bland and flavorless is pretty much how both my girlfriend & I felt about the M di B we had in Rome and Sorrento. But, of course, one person's "bland" is another's "delicious"; we all have different ways of reacting to foods.<BR><BR>We certainly didn't dislike it; it just didn't make our palates beg for more.

Valerie,<BR>when you will be here, phone me and I suggest you where to buy the best mozzarella di bufala directly from the producer and look at the handmade work process too. You can see "bufale" and then milk and then the work of the cheesemaker, and taste it, at least.<BR>The place is the northern part of my region: Capua and its surrounding area.<BR>I live in Penisola Sorrentina.<BR>Feel free e-mail me, I have fun to help you; I like very much mozzarella di bufala. Ciao.<BR>

For Sal and Capo - I usually serve the mozzarella di bufala with a drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper and sometimes with a little fresh basil. It is delicious with prosciutto, roasted red peppers, sliced tomatoes. Alone it can be somewhat bland. I'm not sure if this is a traditional Italian way to serve it, but my parents and grandparents (born in Italy) would sometimes prepare it this way.

On its own Mozzarella di Bufala may be considered "bland", but there in lies its beauty.<BR><BR>Its simple milky flavour is so refreshing. <BR><BR>And as Mari said, my favourite way of eating it is in a Caprese Salad. <BR><BR>i.e. sliced mozzarella, sliced beef tomatoes, torn basil leaves, a small sprinking of ground pepper, and drizzled with olive oil. <BR><BR>Mmmmm, I'm drooling at the very thought of it !

Mozzarella di Bufala should have a fresh lactic tartness, a bit of milkiness and nothing else. What gives it its supberb flavor is the condiments. As mentioned above, mozz with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamico if you wish and an abundance of pepper is superb. Caprese is mozz with sliced tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Mozz and prosciutto is a definite regular antipasto is the area. Again, just olive oil and pepper with the mozz and pprosciutto. <BR><BR>Spaghetti alla checca is wonderful- chop tomatoes with garlic and basil, marinate for a while with a little olive oil and pepper. Chop up the mozz and combine with the tomato mixture and toss on spaghetti. The mozz may be cool or room temp while the spaghetti is warm.<BR><BR>If you have access to fresh lemon leaves, roll up a bit of mozz in the lemon leaf seasoned with pepper and salt and melt it on a grill.<BR><BR>The stuff you get in the us is not as good as the stuff you get there. But the best available in the US is airfreighted in weekly and comes in a plastic tub or in a bag. If its floating in a bowl you just don't know how long its been sitting there or where it came from. The US made mozz can be okay but most are made from cow's milk. Look for the ABC symbol on your package when you buy. And always use it as soon as possible. <BR><BR>Hope this helps.

I suggest to visit this webiste :http://www.mozzarelladop.it/ .<BR>There is English version, too.<BR><BR>

WOW! Thanks to all you gourmets for the crash course on M di B. Dying to try it prepared as suggested. Sal

topping

It's also what was put on top of the Pizza Margherita we had in Florence. THE best pizza we've ever had. Thin crust, slices of M di B sprigs of basil, cooked in a wood-burning oven and drizzled w/ olive oil.<BR><BR>Can I have it for breakfast?

Yes! Caprese salad! One of my favorite dishes. Make it at home all the time. Yum yum, yummm!

Now you've done it! You guys are REALLY making me hungry! Sal

Valerie,<BR><BR>There is a small shop in Ravello where a woman makes it by hand. Ask at your hotel about it as I think you have to arrange it in advance, but it was really interesting and very authentic. They also have bigger factories where it is made, but we appreciated the this family operation. However, this place makes mozzarella from the cow, not the buffalo. It is the same texture and type of cheese, but is saltier than from the buffalo. For those that found the buffalo mozz bland, I bet you'd find the cow mozz a bit more tasty, but I think it's harder to find mass produced in the States-perhaps an italian deli would have it.