Scamorza

Product An uncooked or partly cooked cheese that is occasionally smoked. It ripens fairly rapidly.

Form and Dimensions The cheese is shaped like a pear with a short neck and a small knob or head. It weighs between 200 and 500 grams (7 oz.-1 lb. 1/2 oz.). In the provinces of Foggia and Brindisi, the cheese can be called Silano. It has a cylindrical and elongated shape and can weigh from 500 grams to 2 kilos (1 lb. 1 1/2 oz.-4 lb. 6 oz.).

Characteristics The paste is compact, flexible and white in color. The cheese has a thin rind that ranges in color from white to straw-yellow or brown, if the Scamorza is smoked. The outer layer of the cheese often has a structure of overlapping leaves. It has a delicate and appealing odor and a sweet flavor. If it has been made by a small producer, the cheese may have a stronger flavor. In some cases, the smoked cheese will have a more incisive and intense aroma.

Aging or Ripening The cheese is sold immediately after processing, or within one or two days.

Consumption Scamorza can be used in place of Mozzarella in various preparations. It is delicious grilled with hard-wheat bread and is excellent as a condiment in timbales and baked pasta dishes, calzoni and pizzas. It can also be consumed uncooked in pasta or rice salads or as a stuffing for tomatoes. The cheese is also delicious in mixed salads. If it is allowed to age, it can be used as a grating cheese and is especially good sprinkled over vegetables.

Processing Whole milk from the morning and evening milking is used. It is strained and heated to a temperature of 36-38 degrees C. (97-100° F.), at which point starter and rennet are added. The mixture is allowed to "rest" for two to 24 hours and is then worked with wooden implements until it becomes stringy. Once the paste is firm and compact, it is shaped by hand into forms resembling flasks (fiaschette) or saddle-bags (bisaccia), dipped in water and then soaked in brine. In some production areas, the Scamorze are covered after salting, with jute or other material and smoked over smoldering dampened straw for about 10 to 15 minutes. This procedure was originally adopted to prevent the cheese from being attacked by mold.

Name The name Scamorza is derived from a combination of two words, capo (head) and mozzare (to cut or chop). The expression mozzare il capo (to chop off the head) is used in the same sense as mozzarella con la testa (slicing off the tob knob of a Mozzarella), the first step in tasting the cheese. For Scamorza cheese is like Mozzarella in that it is pear-shaped and has a small knob or head at the top. production area: Scamorza is produced in a limited area. At the moment, the most significant production zone is the region of Apulia and some districts in Campania and Molise.

Storage It can be kept for no more than three weeks at a temperature of about 6 degrees C. (43° F.)