I remember the first time I tried Bufala Mozzarella…  it was a party in my mouth! and I thought, “where have you been all my life!” There’s no going back to “other” mozzarella after you experience bufala.  If you enjoy bufala as much as I do, you also know that it’s not very easy to find unless you live in NYC, LA, Chicago or another major city.  The problem with makers of good bufala is that they are very proud of their mozzarella and they safeguard their reputations to the fullest extent.

True story: I had 2 colleagues when I lived in Bologna, one was from Battipaglia and the other from Caserta (both located in Campania) and both cities are very well known for their bufala mozzarella.  Every time one of them went home to visit family we would ask them to pick up some bufala mozzarella.  On several ocassions they would fail to produce, not because they didn’t try but because they answered incorrectly when they were asked questions from the seller.  “Where are you taking it?” “When will you arrive?” “When are you planning to eat it?” If your plans didn’t include eating the bufala within a few days of purchase they wouldn’t sell it to you!

So when I returned to the US bufala mozzarella was usually a special find on a high end menu or something to look forward to when I went to Italy but a few years ago I started seeing it at Costco of all places.  It’s not always available and not as good as the ones we used to eat from the mom-n-pop shops in Caserta or Battipaglia but it sure is delicious!  The brand is “Fattorie Garofalo” from Capua (CE) in Campania and imported by Arthur Schuman Inc. in New Jersey.  It comes in a little tub with 5 bufala mozzarella balls.

With tomatoes still in season and loads of basil still in the garden, it’s a great time to make a delicious Caprese Salad.  So next time you’re in Costco… keep a look out in the cheese section for bufala mozzarella and impress your dinner guests with a little taste of Campania.

Caprese Salad:

Slice the bufala and fresh tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/2 slices, arrange them on a plate and drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil over them, add salt, pepper and fresh basil. (you can add balsamic vinegar too if you want… but I think it takes away from the bufala.)  Enjoy and buon appetito!

I’m pretty laid back most of the time but everyone has a few pet peeves, me included.  Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to Italian?  Here are three of mine:

1. It’s spelled: Bruschetta – It’s pronounced: brus-kett-a (not “brusheta”) Why? beacause in Italian “che” is a hard C.
2. If I only order one, it’s a PANINO…. not a Panini!  (It really irks me if the person behind the counter asks me if I meant Panini.  NO!)
3. If it’s not made with mozzarella di bufala it shouldn’t be called a Caprese Salad in my opinion… how about another name?  A) “tastless” mozzarella salad? B) “rubbery white ball” salad? C) An “add lots of salt and pepper” salad? D) a “what the hell is this Sh*t!” salad?

Panino = Singular : Panini = Plural

What are some of your Italian Pet Peeves??

There’s always talk about what Americans miss most about living abroad. There’s the usual items like peanut butter, diet coke (not coca-cola light), Dr. Pepper (don’t know how anyone can drink that stuff) and other American favorites but how about when you move back to the States and can’t find some of those Italian specialties?? I was thinking about some of those favorites today and came up with a short list beyond the espresso and Italian cuisine.

I miss Brasilena coffee flavored soda – YUM! It’s more of a Calabrian favorite as I have never found it outside of Calabria. If you get a chance…. try it! I have had other coffee flavored soda but none can even come close to Brasilena. I’m sure Michelle at Bleeding Espresso and Cherrye at My Bella Vita know exactly what I’m talking about.

I miss Sanbitter… although my sister carries it at her bakery, so I get to have it occasionally.

I miss Ferrarelle sparkling water. It’s very unique, sort of a “soft sparkling”

I miss a bartender that can make a good “Americano” not the coffee but the cocktail. It’s 1 part Campari, 1 part sweet vermouth with a splash of soda and an orange slice. My favorite! add gin and you get a Negroni.

All drinks? No, no.

I miss mozzarella di bufala, I mean good mozzarella di bufala…. to me, if it’s not mozzarella di bufala…. it’s just not mozzarella. If you’ve never tried it…. run as fast as you can and get some…. seriously, what are you waiting for?

We had 2 Italians in our office when I was working in Bologna: 1 was from Caserta and the other from Battipaglia. These cities are both right outside of Napoli and are famous for their Mozzarella di bufala. They often argued about where the best bufala came from. All I cared about was that they brought it back to Bologna when they went home to visit. We have found some bufala at Costco here in the US. It’s pretty good (not Caserta or Battipaglia good… but pretty good.)

What favorites are you missing from Italy?

PS- If you’re in Italy and live near a US military base: Make friends with someone in the military:) They have full blown American Grocery Stores! Here’s a picture of my friend Anthony in the Grocery store on the Navel base in Napoli. We found lots of favorites including Doritoes, Sam Adams, Diet Coke and canned pumpkin for making pumpkin pie! They also had plenty of your favorite peanut butter brands and Dr. Pepper.