Mozzarella di Bufala (Caserata, Salerno, Frosinone, Latina, Naples, Benevento, Rome)

Nothing compares to Mozzarella di Bufala . The name comes from the word mozzare and means "to cut off". Each section (about 4kg) of cheese is cut off from the kneaded mass and then shaped into balls or plaited . Only Mozzarella di Bufala Campana carries the protected origin designation. Mozzarella is made from rich milk of black water buffalo.



A ball of cheese is porcelain white in color...



and resilient.



Its inner structure is flaky and it has refreshing, slightly tart flavor.

The cheese is expensive but worth trying even to compare to cow's milk mozzarella which is produced throughout Europe, in the USA and Australia.

Burrata (domestic/ Murgie in Puglia)

Burrata (means buttered in Italian) is a mozzarella cheese filed with fresh sweet cream. It was created at the beginning of the previous century to use up curds left over from making mozzarella. Burrata in the photo below is made in USA as many Italian style cheeses ( for example Ricotta, Asagio, Fontina), sausages, hams and prosciutto.

My husband's favorite breakfast,  sliced open Burrata, fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

Domestic cold cuts

Traditional Burrata from Puglia is tied to form a little brioche-like topknot, and moistened with a little whey. It is also wrapped in green leaves of  Asphodelus , which indicate the freshness of cheese. While dried out leaves indicate that the cheese is past its prime. Burrata is highly perishable and should be consumed in a week from being made so most of us won't be so lucky to try an original.. Traditionally, the cheese is served with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and olive oil.

Queso Manchego/Iberico (Spain)

Produced in La Mancha in Central Spain, Manchego is made from 100% sheep’s milk. Due to climate conditions ( raw, cold winters and dry summers) milk is  exceptionally fatty and aromatic.

It is easily recognized by the zigzag pattern etched into its rind and moist interior with tiny holes.

Manchego can be ripened from two to six months. Young (fresco) has fresh and elegant flavor, older (curado) is more salty, piquant and aromatic. The oldest (anjeo) ripens up to two years and becomes extra hard.

Iberico is a Manchego-style cheese made from a blend of cow (50%), goat (30%) and sheep’s milk (10%). Interesting, Iberico cheese is produced only in the province of Valladolid in central Spain. 

The interior paste has a light yellow/ white to slight beige color, mild  aroma and interesting flavor.

Both are great as table cheeses; they also melt well and delicious in omelets or salads (Snow Pea Salad with Manchego).
Recipes:
Broccoli Rabe with Chestnuts and Iberico

Goat's Milk Gouda Cheese (Holland)

Goat's Milk Gouda (matured for 6 months) is my favorite all the time. I believe it has a lot of fans. It is always in stock at "Trader Joe's" where I buy  cheese.
 I like it much more than any Gouda made from cow's milk. It has satiny, light texture, tangy flavor and bright white color. Very pleasant taste, not tart at all.  In the photo below you can also see the cheese with added potatoes and herbs. Nice variation but I haven't seen it for a year or more in the store.







I also enjoy Aged Goat's Milk Gouda, which has been aged for 16 months. Flavor is more savoury and characteristic, but still not so strong like aged cow's milk Gouda.

St. André ( Coutances, Normandy)

St. André is coated with a satiny, edible rind which hides a rich (up to 70% butterfat) center.  I don't like butter but the cheese flavor is more complex and  I can't help from eating St. André from time to time. It's delicious with sourdough bread, dried fruit and nuts. Much better than any sweet dessert. No gilt at all.



Recipe with Saint Andre: Rice Stuffed Green Shells Mussels

Dutch Gouda/Spring Gouda

I enjoy a young Gouda cheese much more than  those aged. It's firm, easy to cut, has silky and smooth consistency and has only a few small holes. Taste is mild and creamy, not sophisticated. It is sometimes good to eat a simple sandwich with a slice of Gouda topped with tomato for breakfast.
Double Cream Gouda has buttery flavor but  it's rubbery and not easy to slice.

Meadowkaas Spring Gouda – a gouda that’s only available in springtime. It’s cheese’s version of Beaujolais Nouveau. I didn’t expect much from it but the cheese is delicious: mild, creamy, nutty, and salty. It has nice small but visible holes, has natural yellow color and smells like fresh butter. The best Gouda I have ever eaten. If only spring could last at least for 6 months.

1,000 Day / Old Amsterdam Gouda ( Netherlands)

 Gouda has very good keeping qualities, and some are aged for even for 4 years. It's the Netherlands' specialty and represents over 60% of the entire Dutch cheese production. Gouda comes from  the small town situated between Rotterdam and Utrecht and was exported as far back as 13th century. 

Below, three aged Gouda  cheeses I have tasted so far.

Tagen Dagan Gouda must be the oldest cheese I have ever eaten. I'm not a  connoisseur of aged cheeses and I taste them once or twice a year. It's hard and but not so dry. It is coated in  orange wax. Caramel color , a uniquely crystalline texture and nutty smell make the cheese very tempting. The taste is sharp and intensive.  At the beginning, I thought that the color comes from natural process of aging. Then I noticed annatto at the list of ingredients.  When cheese is melted you can feel how salty and fat it is. I don't like it at all.

Recipe for warm sandwiches with mushrooms and cheese.

On or two years ago  I had tasted Old Amsterdam Gouda and it is said " to be ripened to perfection" and regularly checked for flavor. It's matured for only 18 months and its paste is pale yellow and coated with black wax.

Sheep's Milk  Aged Gouda has some caramel flavor, which I found very interesting.