Mozzarella Cheese - No Real Italian Pizza Should Be Without It

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This Italian cheese has long been associated with the pizza as a
topping that is as essential as tomatoes. However, it was never an
ingredient for traditional pizza as made in the Greek colony of Naples
centuries ago, and it's history is not a relatively long one. In fact
it has been mentioned by name in cookbooks from the 16th century.
The name mozzarella comes from Southern Italy, and from the words
"mozzare" which literally means to "cut off", and "mozza" which means
"cut" and describes the method by which mozzarella is made. It is not
actually one particular kind of cheese but applies to several kinds of
Italian cheese made by spinning and cutting it. Made from either cows'
milk or buffalo milk, fresh mozzarella does not keep any longer than
24 hours. Of course we know that we can buy it today with a variety of
stabilisers in it to last, refrigerated, for many days.
During production, as the old nursery rhyme reminds us, curds and
heated whey are mixed in large sterilised containers. This thick
mixture is then subject to stretching and kneading, almost like bread
dough, to produce a uniform and delicate consistency. The cheese maker
will keep doing this until a smooth, almost shiny, paste is achieved.
The final part of production involves forming the mozzarella cheese
into ball shapes or sometimes into a plait. Whilst we are more used to
a rubbery consistency with our shop-bought mozzarella, made from
pasteurised cows' milk, when cooked on the pizza, the Italians would
not tolerate this, preferring instead a much softer consistency.
As with many dishes originating from a particular place and culture,
there is a proper way for doing things. Using fresh made mozzarella in
Italian cooking is the only acceptable method in Italy, although for
our fast food chains and for the sake of speed and ease we will no
doubt continue to have rubbery mozzarella on our takeaway pizzas!