We are all familiar with Mozzarella Cheese which makes a perfect ingredient for various recipes and especially for Pizza. It is one of the most sought after dairy products with its own taste and texture. But do we know what are the stand out features which makes it so popular throughout the World?
Let’s Find Out…….
The Name ‘Mozzarella’
It was originated in Souther Italy where it was made with buffalo milk. The Italian verb Mozzare means ‘to tear or cut’. The name is derived from the fact that the paste obtained from the curd is "cut off," that is, cut by the dairy farmers to be modelled in its characteristic forms, whether it is rounded, braided or the bite-sized.
How is Mozzarella Cheese Prepared?
We can use either cow or buffalo milk to make mozzarella cheese. Although primary choice is buffalo’s milk, in some places they use sheep, goat and cow milk as well. The Fresh Mozzarella Cheese is white in color and it can be slight yellowish as per the animal’s diet.
The making process of mozzarella cheese is also known as pasta filata. Start with boiling the milk and adding some rennet to obtain the curd. Then the curd needs to heat in whey or water. Once they form strings and becomes elastic, the curd is kneaded till it gets smooth. After that, we can mould it to rounded balls to make tasty and fresh mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese is best to eat within hours when it’s made.
Types of Mozzarella Cheese
Broadly, we can classify them into high moisture mozzarella cheese and low moisture mozzarella cheese. The traditional fresh moisture mozarella is rich in moisture with 60% water. However, the low moisture variant should have water content between 45% to 50%. Low moisture mozzarella cheese is saltier, denser and also has more life span. This makes it a perfect choice for Pizza makers across the World.
Nutritional Benefits of Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese, being a dairy product, comes with certain health benefits. Because of its making process, it stands superior to other dairy products with additional benefits as given below.
Rich Source of Biotin and Riboflavin - It is a good source of biotin or vitamin b7 which is useful for diabetic people and pregnant women. Also, it is rich in ribofavin or vitamin b2 which has good antioxidant properties and helpful for migraine attacks and anaemia.
Mozzarella Cheese is helps in digestion process and promotes the smooth functioning of brain.
Mozzarella Cheese has high amount of Calcium and Phosphorous which makes it an obvious choice for bone and teeth health.
It is a good source of Protein and enhances muscle strength.
As it has considerable amount of Zinc, it plays a vital role in preventing skin problems by increasing the blood cell count.
Another key mineral source contained in Mozzarella Cheese is Potassium. It helps in lowering the blood pressure and prevents heart related ailments.
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