I don’t speak Italian. Even
after nearly two weeks of being in Rome, I still struggle to force out a measly
“ciao!” with any confidence. Though I knew that coming to a place without
knowing the language would be difficult, my lack of mastery over the Italian
language was more apparent than ever before when I arrived at Mercato Trionfale on Wednesday morning.
With Italian phrases being shouted from every stall and no English labels to be
found, I felt unworthy and a little bit foolish being there. As I wandered
around the market, my anxiety heightened knowing that I would eventually have
to speak to one of the vendors one-on-one in order to purchase my product. When
I finally arrived at a stall selling cheese, I took a deep breath and prepared
for a lot of pointing and nervous laughter.
I’ve found it very interesting how, in Rome, when people
say they know “a little English,” they know quite a bit of English. This trend
continued in the market and as I stood at the stall attempting to pronounce “mozzarella di bufala” with the best Italian accent I could muster.
The vendor smiled at me and told me he knew some English and could help me.
With a sigh of relief, I explained what I needed and he scooped me a big ball
of mozzarella, followed by a big scoop of the liquid it had been sitting in.
“Do not fridge! No fridge!”
He told me. “Eat in three days most.” I nodded, grateful for his help, and
tried to find my way out of the maze that was the Mercato Trionfale.
As I walked home, I couldn’t help but feel a little
reminiscent of my childhood as I swung my bag of mozzarella-in-water much like
a child swings a bag with a goldfish won from the county fair. In fact, that’s
what it felt like, right down to the weight of the bag and the feeling of the
liquid swirling around in it as I walked. When I finally got home and put my
cheese on the counter, it landed with a bounciness I did not expect. Though it
made me uncomfortable not to refrigerate it, as in the United States I find
that we mostly refrigerate our cheeses and dairy products, I followed the man’s
instructions and left it at room temperature.
After a quick Google search, I determined that
refrigerating Mozzarella di Bufala is
one of the cardinal sins of cheese, as is not eating it nearly immediately
(walksofitaly.com). Nearly every website I visited instructed me to eat my ball
of mozzarella within a few hours of its purchase (walksofitaly.com). Trying to
follow all the rules, I grabbed a knife and pushed it through the cheese to
grab a slice to taste. I say “pushed” not “cut” because the knife quite
literally had to be pushed straight down. I did not use a cutting motion as one
may use with bread or a vegetable, it was more like a hard push. It reminded me
of trying to cut through clay in art class. It was deceivingly difficult, as I
thought based off of looks and the immediate feel that the moisture would make
it very easy to cut. Moisture is very key to the mozzarella di bufala and keeping it moist until consumption is
crucial to maintaining the integrity of the flavor and texture. These “rules”
for consumption are so emphasized because it is considered such a delicacy, and
because it is DOP protected by the government. Made from the milk of an Italian
Water Buffalo, mozzarella di bufala originates
in southern Italy (walksofitaly.com). When fresh, it is stretchy and smooth,
like a more elastic version of Play-Doh.
The first thing I noticed when I held the ball of
mozzarella in my hand was how heavy it was. Just feeling the weight of it, I
could tell it was a very dense cheese. When I poked the outside with my finger
(a technique recommended to test freshness), the cheese popped back up to fill
in the indentation, as if I had never touched it (mozzarelladibufala.org). This indicates that the cheese is
fresh and good to eat!
Upon tasting my own mozzarella
di bufala, I discovered that it felt somewhat slick to my tongue. Having
only ever eaten it in other dishes, I did not know what to expect eating it by
itself, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Its consistency
reminded me somewhat of a thicker Jell-O. Once cut, it oozed a bit of liquid,
which speaks to how moist the cheese really is. Having spent so much time
soaking, it makes sense that the cheese would have absorbed a large amount of
liquid, given that mozzarella di bufala is
never stored dry. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the cheese appears to
have layers on the inside. It was thick to chew and sweeter than other cheeses
I have tried since arriving in Italy.
As an American who
enjoys Italian food, “mozzarella” is a very familiar term to me. It has always
been a word I have associated with Italy, far before I ever thought I would get
to visit. Now that I’m here, I understand why it is so strongly associated with
the country. Mozzarella di bufala is
DOP certified not only because it originated here, but because it is an
integral part to Italian cooking and Italian food identity. The certification
enforces the fact that mozzarella di bufala,
as well as other DOP foods, are inherently tied to the Italian identity
because food is so inherently tied to the Italian identity.
--Skylar Johnson
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