American-Made Buffalo Mozzarella
Photo from Shellie Raney on Flickr.com
True Italian mozzarella is made from the sweet, rich milk of the water buffalo. Not to be confused with the American bison, the water buffalo has its origins in Asia and, according to Wikipedia, was introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages by returning Crusaders. Many good cheese shops carry mozzarella di bufala that is flown in fresh from Italy every day, since the shelf life of this wonderful cheese is only 24 to 48 hours. At present there is only one domestic producer creating fresh mozzarella from water buffalo milk: Woodstock Water Buffalo in South Woodstock, Vermont.
Yesterday's Chicago Tribune ran a story about the five-year-old dairy, which also makes an incredible water buffalo yogurt and plans to produce an ice cream in the near future. Part of the reason water buffalo milk is so delicious in dairy products is its high butterfat content of 8.5 percent. By comparison, cow milk is 4 percent butterfat, goat milk is 6 percent and sheep milk is 9 percent.
There's really no comparison in my mind between mozzarella made from water buffalo milk and that made from cow's milk. The former is supple, sweet, and intensely creamy, while the latter can often be more elastic and tangy. Mozzarella di bufala also makes for the best pizza, melting into a luscious puddle that is the ultimate foil for a perfectly crispy crust.
The article from the Tribune talks about how Woodstock Water Buffalo is trying to grow:
"This was started as a hobby but now is moving toward an entrepreneurial coup," [president and chief executive David] Rachlin said. "Last year, we did about $1 million in sales, and this year it will be about $1.5 million in sales. We have a ways to go, but the product is excellent, and my team and I are very optimistic."
Here's hoping that they meet and even exceed their goals, and maybe their success will pave the way for the establishment of even more water buffalo dairies throughout the U.S.
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.
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7 Comments:
We visited the Woodstock Water Buffalo farm this past spring...got a tour of the whole place, got samples of the mozzarella straight off the line and had plenty of yogurt...the people were wonderful, the product is even better. And the baby water buffaloes are really cute and love attention. :-)
I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.
tkln at 12:03PM on 11/27/07
for those of us in the west there is
http://www.realmozzarella.com/
tenpointfarmer at 2:17PM on 11/27/07
I'm sorry but I just can not resist saying that I love that photo.
It reminds me of some old guy down the road a piece.
I expect it to start talking about the weather at any moment.
I love it.
Karen Resta at 7:59AM on 11/28/07
Is it possible to just get the MILK? THere's nothing better than fresh carabao milk for breakfast (heat it, spoon over rice, add a bit of sugar/pinch of salt, eat with salted meat or fish, and have a bite of candied coconut in between. BRILLIANT.)
lorelei76 at 4:31PM on 11/29/07
It is not the only place I know of in the USA which makes its own water buffalo product from their own milk.
If you wish fresh water buffalo mozzarella contact the Hans at http://www.realmozzarella.com/ They are located in Los Angeles. They are easy to reach by phone or email.
.
burrata at 10:59PM on 11/29/07
Unfortunately the company has closed. I just called Woodstock Water Buffalo company to find out which retailers in NYC carry their mozzarella. A recording told me that they were closed for business and that their remaining assets are available for purchase. What a shame! I wonder what happened? They seemed to be doing so well.
smcclint at 9:55AM on 03/10/08
Good news - Woodstock Water Buffalo is back in business! Mr. Abballe, who grew up in Italy, took ownership as of March 17, 2008. In fact, a batch of fresh buffalo mozzarella is being made downstairs in our creamery as I write this. We have about 650 water buffalo and are milking 200 right here in Vermont! If you're looking for fresh mozzarella, email info@woodstockwaterbuffalo.com
Vermontbuff at 9:13AM on 03/27/08