To help consumers make their choice among the many references on the shelves, we evaluated their taste and texture with a dozen “expert tasters”, trained in this type of tasting. They had to test a total of 18 mozzarellas, medium and high-end, and some organics.
Know, first of all, that there are two main types of mozzarella: the most traditional, made from buffalo milk and sold at around 15 euros per kilo, and the mozzarella cow’s milk, displayed on average at €7-8 per kilo. The majority of these cheeses are produced in Italy, except for the “first prices”, made in Germany.
The mozzarella lover is looking for a mozzarella with a marked dairy smell, but not sour. Its flavor must be present in the mouth, but without being acidic or too salty. Finally, on the texture side, we want it melting, moist, but not grainy or stringy in the mouth. According to these criteria, it is, without much surprise, the buffalo milk mozzarellas that come out on top in our test. The jurors particularly appreciated their soft and pleasant texture in the mouth.
So if you want to sublimate a nice tomato salad, treat yourself to a mozzarella with an Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOP) “di bufala Campana”, that is to say produced in the region of Campania, Italy: you will appreciate its assertive and creamy character. But our tests also show that you can find good quality, creamy and melting cow’s mozzarella, at an average price. To melt on a pizza, they will be perfect. In any case, choose the freshest mozzarella possible, with a “expiration date” away and bathed in its preservation liquid, which preserves its aromas.