Two Italian regions are at sword’s points (or maybe cheese-fork tines) over an Agriculture Ministry decision to support protected status for cow-milk mozzarella from Puglia.
Buffalo milk mozzarella producers in neighboring Campania oppose the DOP status, which means that there is a standard for where the product comes from, who can make it, and what standards it must meet. The buffalo mozzarella has had DOP status since 1996.
“The cheese products of Puglia are delicious, but for the typical character of the local productions and the full interest of the value of the resources of all regions, the only DOP mozzarella is — and must remain — ours, exclusively made with buffalo milk,” they told the ministry in September, when it began considering the applicaton.
Campania is concerned about competition and confusion, since the products may look alike and carry DOP labels, while the buffalo product is three times as expensive because the milk is more expensive and difficult to produce.
In either case, the final decision depends on a ruling from Brussels.
Photo of Mozzarella di bufala dalla regione Campania by Ra Boe / Wikimedia
