Bocconcini in Anfora

Product A milk product consisting of small spheres (bocconcini) of buffalo-milk cheese immersed in cream.

Milk The cheese is made from milk and cream provided by buffaloes that are grazed in pastures. The farms are strictly regulated.

Origin It is a typical product of the Salerno area, where production was initiated in the seventies. However, it is derived from an old tradition of presenting small Mozzarella cheeses in terra-cotta containers.

Processing In the production of Bocconcini di Bufala, the procedure is the same as that followed in making Mozzarella. The milk is put in a caldron and brought to a temperature of 35¡ C. (95¡ F.). Rennet is added and the mixture is allow to "rest" for about an hour. The curd is then broken up into small pieces, the whey is drained off and the cheese is allowed to rest for another hour. When the curd, immersed in boiling water, becomes stringy, it is cut into large pieces that are then broken up and covered with boiling water. When the pieces begin to rise to the surface, part of the water is removed and the paste is mixed until it ceases to separate into filaments. At that point, the pieces are cut and shaped as Bocconcini, which are then cured by being immersed in brine.

History Bocconcini "packaged" in terra-cotta pots is clearly ancient in origin. In the past, owners of herds of European buffaloes usually transported their larger Mozzarella cheeses wrapped in rushes, while they put the smaller cheeses in water in earthenware containers known as lancelle. That was once considered the most refined way of presenting the cheeses to the landowners. In reviving the practice, which is extensively documented, the producers replaced the water with cream, which was until recently too expensive to be used for that purpose.