Every week or so, I set up a taste test with my fellow dietitians and foodies to learn something new about various foods/ingredients. This week’s topic was fresh mozzarella.
In a previous blog post, I wrote about the different types of fresh mozzarella cheese that are available (mozzarella di bufala, fior di latte, bocconcini and burrata) to understand the difference between them. But I also wanted to taste the different types side by side. Here are the following cheeses that I used in the taste test:
- mozzarella di bufala (made with water buffalo milk)
- mozzarella fior di latte (made with cow’s milk)
- burrata (stuffed with cream and mozzarella curds)
From the photo, you can see that the cow’s milk mozzarella is the most firm out of the three. It was firm to the touch (felt a little rubbery) and had very little flavour. Most people in the group found the flavour to be too mild (they really couldn’t taste anything) and said that when they use it, it’s usually for texture.
The buffalo mozzarella was noticeable softer and we could see the creaminess of the cheese when we cut into it. We tasted more of a tang (similar to the tang of goat cheese but not nearly as strong) and a creamier mouth feel. I looked at the label and it said it was required to have a minimum of 52% milk fat! Yikes!
The burrata was the favourite amongst the group. It’s a young mozzarella cheese that is stuffed with cream and mozzarella curds. It was absolutely decadent! It had the most flavour and the richest mouth feel. We could definitely taste the cream. It was also more salty. Someone in the group said that it felt like she was having dessert because of the ricotta cheese-like texture. But because of the cream, it also had the highest fat content. You definitely don’t need to eat a lot of this cheese. It’s so rich that the group was satisfied after just a few bites.
Even though all three were young mozzarella cheeses, they all had very different taste/texture profiles and fat content. The cow’s milk mozzarella was the mildest in flavour and had the lowest fat content, the buffalo mozzarella had more flavour, a creamier texture and a higher fat content and the burrata cheese had the most flavour, the creamiest texture and the highest fat content. This isn’t to say that one is necessarily better than the other, it really depends how you plan on using them. But it was great to gain an understanding of the ingredients in terms of taste, texture and nutrition to understand how it can be used and fit in with the overall meal.
But don’t forget, cheese is still a good source of protein and calcium so enjoy it. Just be aware that it’s something that you might not want to have every single day in large amounts because they tend to be high in fat.
Is there a certain type of young mozzarella cheese that you prefer? How do you use it?