Mozzarella

This versatile cheese, used in many dishes for its astounding melting quality, was originally made only from buffalo milk. It was produced mainly in the south, on the plain of Aversa and in the area near Rome called the Agro Pontino. (The buffaloes are said to have been introduced from India in the sixteenth century.) The original version is kneaded by hand while the whey is still very hot (a process that gives the cheese its characteristic ‘layered’ appearance), and is much more expensive than the factory-made type produced in the north of Italy from cows’ milk.