🧀 Mozzarella
Also known as: mozzarella di bufala, fior di latte, buffalo mozzarella, mozzarella cheese
A fresh pasta filata cheese from southern Italy; mozzarella di bufala from Campania is made only from buffalo milk, ordinary mozzarella from cow’s milk as well.
Mozzarella is a fresh, soft pasta filata cheese from southern Italy: its curd is stretched in hot water rather than pressed. The Codex separates soft, layered high-moisture mozzarella from firmer low-moisture mozzarella, the kind that can be grated.
What a pack promises depends on the words around “mozzarella”. Plain “mozzarella” is ordinary cheese with no protected status. “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana” has been an EU protected designation of origin (PDO) since 1996, the EU also lists a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), and since 2020 it has protected Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle from Apulia, made only from whole cow's milk with a whey starter.
The buffalo cheese has the strictest rules. Its specification asks for fresh whole milk from Italian Mediterranean buffalo, and the area covers the provinces of Caserta and Salerno and parts of Benevento, Naples, Frosinone, Latina, Rome, Foggia and Isernia. The finished cheese has at least 52% fat in dry matter and no more than 65% moisture.
The milk is soured with whey from earlier batches and curdled with rennet at 33–39 °C; the curd then ripens under whey for about five hours. Stretched with boiling water, it is pinched off into pieces (the “mozzatura”), cooled and salted in brine. Shapes run from tiny “pearls” to braids: a ball weighs 10–800 g, a braid up to 3 kg. The cheese then rests in its own liquid, slightly acidic and sometimes lightly salted water.
Comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that real mozzarella is always made from buffalo milk?
No. The Codex allows cow's milk, buffalo milk or a mix; only Mozzarella di Bufala Campana must use buffalo milk alone. Fior di latte is mozzarella made from cow's milk.
What does TSG mean on a mozzarella pack?
It marks “Mozzarella Tradizionale”, a traditional speciality guaranteed in the EU: balls of 20–250 g or braids of 125–250 g, sold in liquid.
Which mozzarella is allowed on Neapolitan pizza?
The Pizza Napoletana TSG allows only buffalo mozzarella with the PDO or mozzarella with the TSG, about 80–100 g of sliced cheese per pizza.
Can I eat mozzarella when pregnant?
Pasteurised mozzarella, yes: the NHS lists it among pasteurised soft cheeses that are safe in pregnancy. Soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk should be eaten only when cooked until steaming hot.
Is mozzarella vegetarian?
Not strictly. The milk is curdled with calf rennet, an animal-derived ingredient, so check the label if you avoid it.
Facts
| Raw material | Cow's milk, buffalo milk or a mix 3; Mozzarella di Bufala Campana — buffalo milk only 1 |
|---|---|
| Region | Southern Italy; Mozzarella di Bufala Campana — Campania and parts of Lazio, Apulia and Molise 1 |
| Temperature | Mozzarella TSG is kept at 0…+4 °C 4 |
| Duration | Buffalo milk is processed within 60 hours of the first milking 1 |
| Legal basis | PDO Mozzarella di Bufala Campana — Reg. (EC) 1107/96 2; TSG — Reg. (EU) 2022/1291 4; PDO Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle — Reg. (EU) 2020/2018 9 |
Cheese
Mozzarella belongs to pasta filata cheeses and to fresh cheeses. Curd from cow's or buffalo milk ripens briefly, then is kneaded and stretched in hot water until elastic; balls are torn off and kept in lightly salted water or whey. Mozzarella is not aged and is eaten within a few days. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana from Campania is made only from buffalo milk and is a PDO, while plain mozzarella is a TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed). Tip: serve fresh mozzarella at room temperature with tomatoes and basil, and use a firmer, drier one on pizza.
Composition per 100 g
| Fat | 22.1 g |
|---|---|
| Protein | 22.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.4 g |
| Energy | 299 kcal |
| Calcium | 505 mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk
How it connects to milk
🧀 Mozzarella ← milk for ← 🐃 Water buffalo → gives → 🥛 Milk
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Mozzarella → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Buffalo milk
- From whose milk
- 🐃 Water buffalo
- Next step
- 🧀 Ricotta
- Made from
- 🥛 Buffalo milk, 🥛 Cow's milk
- What is made from it
- 🧀 Stracciatella
- Where it is stored or sold
- 🧊 Refrigerator
- What it contains
- 🦴 Calcium
- Traditions
- 🌍 Southern Europe, 🧑🤝🧑 Italians, 🌍 North America
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🧀 Cheese, 🧶 Pasta filata cheeses, 🥛 Fresh cheeses, 🇮🇹 Italian cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Burrata, 🧀 Stracciatella, 🧀 Sulguni, 🧶 Oaxaca cheese, 🧀 Provolone, 🧀 Scamorza, 🪭 Rushan
- Wine and milk
- 🍷 Wine and cheese
- In other topics
- 🍅 Gnocchi alla sorrentina
- What is on the label?
- Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG)
Recipes
Guides
What to read next
- 🍅 Gnocchi alla sorrentina — A dish from Campania in the Accademia Italiana della Cucina recipe: boiled gnocchi baked briefly with thick tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, sliced fiordilatte and basil.
- 🌍 Southern Europe — The Mediterranean south of Europe — Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal: sheep's and goat's milk cheeses and most of the world's olive oil.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians — The people of Italy; their cuisine rests on wine, olive oil and cheese, and in 2025 the country made 44.4 million hectolitres of wine, the most in the world.
- 🐃 Water buffalo — India, Pakistan, Italy. Rich milk; the classic is mozzarella di bufala.
- 🧀 Burrata — Burrata is an Italian cow's milk cheese from Apulia: a casing of stretched curd (pasta filata) filled with cream and shredded pasta filata, called stracciatella.
Similar
🧀 Pecorino · 🧀 Ricotta · 🧀 Monterey Jack · 🧀 Cream cheese · 🧀 Cheddar · 🧶 Oaxaca cheese
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
What it includes
- 🧀 Galbani Santa Lucia
- 🧀 Mozzarella di Bufala Campana
- Mlekovita Mozzarella
- 🧀 Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle
- Arla Karolines Køkken Mozzarella Tern
- Arla Karolines Køkken Revet Mozzarella 30+
- Arla Karolines Køkken Revet Mozzarella Økologisk
- Cathedral City Cheese Peelers
All (38) →
- 🧀 Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle
- 🧀 Mozzarella di Bufala Campana
- Tillamook Mozzarella
- Arla Karolines Køkken Mozzarella Tern
- Arla Karolines Køkken Revet Mozzarella 30+
- Arla Karolines Køkken Revet Mozzarella Økologisk
- Cathedral City Cheese Peelers
- 🧀 Galbani Santa Lucia
- Galbani Santa Lucia Burrata
- Galbani Santa Lucia Ciliegie di Mozzarella
- Galbani Santa Lucia Dadini di Mozzarella
- Galbani Santa Lucia Fette alla Mozzarella
- Galbani Santa Lucia Fette di Mozzarella
- Galbani Santa Lucia Fiocchi di Latte
- Galbani Santa Lucia Fiocchi di Latte Senza Lattosio
- Galbani Santa Lucia Il Delizioso
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mascarpone
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mascarpone Senza Lattosio
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella Cucina
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella Insaporita al Basilico
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella La Leggera
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella Pizza Perfetta
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella Pizza Perfetta Senza Lattosio
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella Senza Lattosio
- Galbani Santa Lucia Mozzarella con Fermenti Lattici
- Galbani Santa Lucia Nuvola
- Galbani Santa Lucia Nuvola La Leggera
- Galbani Santa Lucia Ricotta
- Galbani Santa Lucia Ricotta La Leggera
- Galbani Santa Lucia Ricotta Senza Lattosio
- Galbani Santa Lucia Stracciatella
- Granarolo Accadì Mozzarella
- Granarolo Accadì Mozzarella Cucina Senza Lattosio
- Granarolo Mozzarella
- Granarolo Mozzarella Alta Qualità
- Granarolo Mozzarella con Fermenti Lattici
- Mlekovita Mozzarella
- Mlekpol Mozzarella
- Sargento Low Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella String Cheese
- Sargento Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
- Sargento Mozzarella Sliced Cheese
- Sargento Reduced Fat Low Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Light String Cheese
- Sargento Whole Milk Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
- Zanetti Ciambella di Bufala
- Zanetti Mozzarella
- Zanetti Mozzarella Cubettata
- Zanetti Mozzarella di Bufala con Tartufo
Sources
- eAmbrosia — Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO-IT-0014, product specification
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 — registration of “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana” (PDO)
- FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius — Standard for Mozzarella (CXS 262-2006), draft text
- Disciplinare STG «Mozzarella Tradizionale» (Reg. (EU) 2022/1291), GU Italiana n. 191, 17.8.2022
- Official Journal of the EU C 424, 8.12.2020, p. 39 — product specification of the TSG “Mozzarella” (amendment application)
- Consorzio di Tutela Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP — Le caratteristiche del prodotto
- Consorzio di tutela Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP
- USDA FoodData Central — Cheese, mozzarella, whole milk (FDC 170845)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2018 — «Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle» (PDO)
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 97/2010 — «Pizza Napoletana» (TSG), product specification
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy — cheese, milk and other dairy
- European Commission — Geographical indications and quality schemes explained
Also listed under
- MilkDairy productsCheese
- CheesePasta filata cheeses
- CheeseItalian cheeses
- CheeseCheeses by type of milkBuffalo milk