European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Water Buffalo produce Only seven or eight liners a Day of the thick creamy milk that is used to make a Mozzarella i Bufala at right italian salad of Tomato and Mozzarella slices seasoned with Olive Oil oregano Salt and Basil  it any wonder Story and photos by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau s ome addictions Are Legal a such As the craving americans in Southern Italy develop for Mozzarella i Bufala. They Aren t yearning for those slabs of tasteless Dairy concoctions that folks in the states use to cover their pizzas and Call Mozzarella. Italian Mozzarella is White creamy and tender. Its usually in the form of balls of various sizes that Are preserved floating in a brine solution. Although italians use Mozzarella i Bufala As a pizza Topping they also use it in a variety of recipes or enjoy the cheese by itself sprinkled with coarse Black Pepper or As a salad with Olive Oil and tomatoes. American Mozzarella junkies have been known to suffer withdrawal like jitters and twitches when they even think about their return to the United states where real Mozzarella in t available. A i m already starting to worry about what we re going to do when we leave Here and can to get it any More Quot said Linda Seely a fifth Grade teacher who arrived in Naples five months ago. Seely and 24 other cheese crazed americans recently took a bus ride to a Mozzarella farm in Graz Anise about 35 Miles North of Naples. During the trip sponsored by the Naples naval support activity intercultural relations course they observed the entire cheese making process at cases fico cheese factory vaio. At the factory the americans watched As Salvatore vaio and his employees converted hundreds of liners of thick and creamy milk from his buffaloes to Mozzarella. By the time the spectators arrived workers had already milked the buffaloes put the milk in a Large vat heated it and added a Small amount of chemical coagulant. Luigi Russo pointed out the spongy White curd several inches thick forming in the Bottom of the vat under the whey or liquid part of the milk Russo who has been making Mozzarella for 10 years explained As he worked that some cheese factories make their Mozzarella partly or entirely from cheaper cows milk. But they advertise their product As being made from Buffalo milk arid charge accordingly Russo said. Such cheese suffers in the taste department and the group would taste the difference when they ate his cheese Russo said. First however guides herded the americans Back into their bus for the Brief trip to the farm. There the visitors saw the animals responsible for their Mozzarella madness. Italians imported the animals ancestors from India and Asia centuries ago. Each Bufala or female produces seven or eight liners of milk a Day roughly a third of what a typical milk cow yields said vaio who has 160 of the dark Brown bovines. Buffalo milk therefore costs about $2 a liter and it takes four liners to produce one kilogram 2.2 pounds of cheese. Vaio charges about $10.50 for a kilogram of Mozzarella at his store. Quot taking care of Buffalo is a big commitment Quot said vaio a Mozzarella Farmer for More than 25 years. Quot someone has to stay with them Day and  vaio offered his visitors a tip that surprised Many of them done to refrigerate fresh Mozzarella because that makes it Tough. Leave it out and keep it in its own juices. Stores keep the cheese in a whey and brine solution when they buy Mozzarella shoppers also receive some of the liquid. They carry the combination Home in plastic bags. While it is intended to be eaten soon after it is made Mozzarella will keep two or three Days in the solution unless the weather is very hot. It can be Frozen and kept for months but once thawed is Only Good for cooking. The americans returned to the cases fico where they had their cheese fix in the form of a caprese a salad of slices of Mozzarella and tomatoes with Olive Oil oregano and Bay leaves. A you can definitely taste the difference Quot Petty officer 3rd class Duane Thompson said comparing the fresh Mozzarella he had in the salad with the cheese he previously thought was authentic. Quot it was a lot fresher. It was a lot softer too but that was probably because of its freshness Quot he said. The curd was ready when the americans finished their lunch so they watched the final Steps in Mozzarella making. Russo removed the curd from the vat where it had coagulated and Cut it into smaller pieces. He and coworkers then used a machine to shred the pieces which were then heated until they melted. While the curd was molten the workers formed it into balls and placed it in brine solution the process is More difficult than it looks Russo said breaking off the right amount and making the continued on Page 14 Friday july 20, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13 t