by Gina DePalma, Pastry Chef

CHEESES OF SALERNO

The most well-known area of the Salerno province in Campnia is the breathtakingly beautiful Amalfi Coast. Beyond that picture-postcard setting lies a far less touristed part of Campania where the mountains meet the coast and the valleys are home to some of Italy’s best cheese makers.

Travel south and west of the town of Salerno itself and you will find yourself in the magnificent Parco Nazionale del Cilento, the National Park of the Cilento Mountains, and the connected Vallo di Diano, or Diano plains. Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the second largest national park in Italy, this beautiful area is a hotbed of lactic activity, producing some of the most important and beloved cheeses of Campania.

At the top of this list there can only be one Big Cheese, and it is without question Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, made from the milk of the water buffalo that roam the landscape of the Cilento. Wipe the image from your mind of those rubbery yellow blocks of unknown origin labeled “mozzarella” lying in the dairy section of your supermarket; they aren’t even close to the real thing and are more likely a form of edible plastic. True Mozzarella di Bufala is a fresh, stretched-curd cheese that forms layers that are wrapped around and around. The elastic layers eventually soften, forming a pillow-y, quivering mass that oozes droplets of tangy milkiness when cut. It is buffalo milk defines the cheese itself – mozzarella made from cow’s milk cannot be labeled Mozzarella di Bufala, and is instead known as fior di latte. Buffalo milk has a higher fat content than cow’s milk, giving Mozzarella di Bufala its characteristic creamy, melt-in-your mouth quality.

The process of making Mozzarella di Bufala starts with fresh buffalo milk that is heated and injected with rennet and whey to form loose, soft curds. The curds are broken into smaller nuggets that are soaked in more whey for a day or so, until they have become firm and bouncy. Next comes the fun part, and I can say that because I have tried my hand at making mozzarella a few times and it is blast. The curds are softened in boiling water until they become stretchy and pliable, like long, elastic ribbons. The cheese maker then stretches the curd using a stick, drawing it through the curd again and again until the ribbons can be shaped by wrapping them into a ball – that is what makes the layers, or “leaves.” The balls are left to sit, immersed in the milky liquid, until the curd relaxes and softens, compacting the layers and creating the unique texture of the cheese.

Since it is a fresh cheese, Mozzarella di Bufala is at its optimum flavor – buttery, slightly grassy, and tangy – one or two days after it is made; the finest upscale markets and Italian specialty shops have it flown in directly from Campania and will offer it for sale for only a few days. My favorite way to eat it is with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt, or alternated on a platter with thin slices of sweet oranges and fresh figs for a delicious ending to a summer meal.

Caciocavallo is a cheese you may recognize from its unmistakable shape – a large, egg-shaped sack, knotted at the top like a saddle bag. There are a few varieties of Caciocavallo made in the Salerno province – Caciocavallo Podolico, Caciocavallo del Monaco, and Caciocavallo Silano. Each are made with cow’s milk and can be enjoyed both young or aged. They are firm, full-bodied cheeses, with a tangy saltiness that dissolves into a nutty finish, absolutely perfect served with toasted walnuts and honey. More mature cheeses are wonderful grated over fresh pasta.

Cacioricotta is a cheese made throughout southern Italy, but in the Cilento it is made from fresh goat’s milk, or a blend of goat’s and sheep’s milk. It takes its name from the tiny, paste-like curds that are formed when the milk is heated, similar to ricotta. The paste is shaped into a plump cylinder that is aged on wooden planks for up to 4 months. Another excellent table cheese, Cacioricotta is rich and creamy, a perfect companion to the sweet, fresh white figs of the Vallo di Diano and the assertive, interesting white wines of Campania.

You can find these and other great cheeses from Campania at DiPalo Dairy, on the corner of Grant and Mott Streets in Lower Manhattan.

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