FIOR DI LATTE

Mozzarella is a generic term for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting:

• Mozzarella di Bufala - made from fresh water buffalo milk
• Mozzarella Fior di Latte - made from fresh cow's milk
• Low-moisture mozzarella – made from skimmed milk (widely used in the foodservice industry)
• Smoked mozzarella

Fresh mozzerella is soft and moist, very bland and milky tasting, almost spongy and oozing with milk, often served with tomatoes in a salad. It is usually served the day it is made as it does not keep beyond 12 or 24 hours. It has little in common with the plastic "string cheese" used in fast food pizzerias.

Processed mozzarella is an invention of the American pizza chain restaurant industry, which needed a stringy cheese product that was inexpensive, could be easily shipped, and had a long shelf life.