Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala has become a common item on many menus. Now there is an exciting new semi-aged Italian water buffalo cheese to add to the mix - Caciotta di Bufala. Caciotta (named for cacio, the alternate Italian word for cheese) is simply a type of smaller-sized Italian cheese.
This cheese is made in one of the most famous areas in Italy for water buffalo milk - in the Caserta area of Campania in south-central Italy near Naples. The producers successfully combine ancient cheese making traditions with a careful selection of milk coming from water buffalo grazing on inland mountain pastures.
Caciotta di Bufala is an innovative cheese - not the usual fresh style, but rather, a semi-soft wheel that is aged 60 days. The careful cheese making process yields a soft, rich, creamy cheese that is notable for its delicate, pleasant taste with a slightly sour aftertaste typical of bufala milk. It has an intriguing finish that tastes decidedly Mediterranean, bringing to mind olives, savory salami, and sunny mountains.
This Caciotta is sure to win the hearts of Italian cheese fans, especially those in search of a new style of buffalo cheese.