Mozzarella di Buffala

The story of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana begins with the arrival of water buffalo in southern Italy, most likely during the Norman period. Brought from Sicily where they had landed at the end of the 10th century, following the Saracen invasions, the animals found an ideal home in the lowlands of Campania. By the 11th century, the Volturno and Sele plains had turned to marsh, a landscape perfectly suited to the Buffalo’s temperament and to the beginnings of a pastoral tradition that would shape the region’s identity.

The earliest written trace of buffalo mozzarella dates to the 12th century. Manuscripts from the monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua describe monks offering travellers a soft, white cheese – mozza, or provatura when smoked – served with a piece of bread to pilgrims arriving for the feast of the Metropolitan Chapter. It was nourishment, devotion, and welcome combined.

Centuries later, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana remains a symbol of that same generosity. Though today its name has traveled far beyond Campania’s borders, the true cheese – fresh, tender, alive with milk and salt – still belongs to the plains where the buffalo graze. To taste it there, within hours of its making, is to understand how landscape and craft can merge into one simple, perfect thing.