It’s hard to blame TasteAtlas, the most reliable culinary ranking site there is. When, in December last year, he elected Campania as the best region in the world to eat, the most sardonic among us thought: “And have you noticed it now?“. The most parochialists, however, thought nothing, because the parochialist, by definition, does not think, but you think.
It is not even a coincidence that among the Campania products mentioned, buffalo mozzarella stands out in first place. White gold. The jewel that comes from manure. To parochialists, to men and women of faith, we cannot and do not want to say anything: after all, there are those who believe in Santa Claus, in chemtrails, that the Earth is flat and that unsalted bread is good. Our beliefs say a lot about what we are and even more about what we are not.
To curious people, who practice healthy doubt as a tool of knowledge, and who live in Tuscany, we would like to say that they now no longer need to travel 500km to the south to eat a buffalo mozzarella worthy of the name. They can do it in one of the two stores Mother Buffalothe one in Florence in Via Corridoni 60/C and the one in Pontedera in Via Tosco Romagnola 209 (and there will soon be a third opening in the Pisan area).
Francesco, the owner, first tells us about the reaction of the Florentines after the inauguration on May 10th:
“Many have approached out of sincere curiosity, especially thanks to the fact that we don’t just sell dairy products but offer a tasting corner where they can try our products, perhaps during their lunch break, because they are tired of the usual flatbread or the usual sandwich”
The Florence store, in fact, offers small tables where onlookers can sit and taste the vast range of products: not only the buffalo mozzarella (from 125g single portions to slut of Battipaglia) but also smoked provola cheese, scamorza cheese, buffalo ricotta, buffalo cured meats, baked products (sweet and savory taralli) and finally puff pastry.
Dairy products arrive early in the morning four times a week, sent from Podere San Vincenzo, a historic dairy in Eboli, in the province of Salerno. This guarantees its freshness, which Francesco insists on. And, tested by the facts, we who know something about it, can confirm it: Mamma Bufala’s mozzarella is delicate and rightly tasty, almost crunchy to the bite. How it should be. And how Francesco, with infinite patience, explains to the many customers who pass by, doubtful as to how to distinguish it from the “supermarket” one and how to preserve it. Reiterating: “mozzarella doesn’t lose milk, it chases it away!”
