[engine noise]
[engine noise] [inaudible chatter]
[in French] Good morning!
I'm going to Italy to shoot a series about Mozarella
All right!
Thanks, have a safe flight!
[chill music]
Salut!
[continues in English] What's up guys, salut! It's Alex
So we made it safe to Italy. Yes!
We are currently in the south of Italy in the region of Naples
And we are heading to Caserta
Which is the hometown of the most genuine Mozarella in the world
A.k.a. Mozarella di Bufala Campagna
I keep saying 'we' because in this trip I'm not shooting alone
I've got some help for the interviews, the slowmo
Victor you can probably say something to the camera
Salut!
[in French] It's here, isn't it? Oh yeah. Right here
[tire screeches]
Il Casolare
[in English] That's the place I'm looking for
[continues in Italian] - Is it milk? - Yes it is
Ah, Benito
Yes
How are you?
[in French] Fine and you?
[in English] So do we start making cheese now?
[continues in Italian] Ok. No. We'll go and see the buffaloes first
and then I'll show how to actually make Mozarella
Ok, let's go!
[buffalos mooing]
The female buffalo is black, with slightly backward bent horns
These are Mediterranean Buffaloes
What do they eat?
They eat hay, dry leaves, wheat, corn...
Many types of plants really
[continues in English] They are the very origin of Mozarella
It's funny to see how local Mozarella is
Buffaloes are just raised in here
The Mozarella is made just a few kilometers away
And then most of the production is consumed here, in Campagna
It's blowing my mind
[continues in Italian] Right, let's make cheese now
Let's go. Let's go!
[continues in English] This is my new look
I don't feel like I'm a cheese maker, I feel like I'm a surgeon
[continues in Italian] This is the first step of the production process
We add an acid serum to the milk from the previous batch
And this part is kept for the next day
- Exactly like pizza - Pizza!
Then we add the 'Caglio', Rennet
The milk feels like caramel cream
When it reaches the right consistency we cut the curds in small pieces
This is called 'Cagliata'
[in English] So basically this is the cheese curd
[continues in Italian] How long between those steps?
- 20 minutes - 20 minutes...
- Is that a knife? - It's called 'Spino' in Italian
It's used to cut the Cagliata
Solids sink to the bottom and liquids come up
They are just separating the liquids from the curds
With the liquid they're gonna make Ricotta
With the curds they're gonna make Mozarella di Bufala Campagna
And do you press them?
Yes, by hand
- Gently -Yes, gently
Buffalo milk is much richer in fat and protein
Fat gives taste to the cheese
- Is it whiter? - Much whiter
It has no beta carotene, it doesn't take any color, it always stays white
Is it ready yet?
Not yet. It needs to rest
For how long?
Like two to three hours
'She' will tell us when she is ready
[in English] So he's performing a test to see if the curds are ready to be turned into Mozarella
[continues in Italian] - Hot water? - Yes, boiling water
It is ready when it stretches rapidly and it folds back nicely
10 more minutes, I think
[in English] It's funny because he made me touch some mhmm... the uhmm... it should... it should...
I'm sorry about the English
But the thing is I'm translating from Italian to French and then from French to English
[in Italian] - How do you call this? - It's the 'Compecina'
[in English] So it's basically the wide container where the magic happens
[continues in Italian] Wood allows for a better cooking of the curds
- Just like pasta, we cook it 'al dente' - Pasta, yes, yes, yes...
Why is the cooking process so important?
- Is it the taste? - It's responsible for the taste and texture in the product at the end
Is this very traditional?
- It is extremely traditional! - Extremely traditional!
[piano music]
[piano music] [electronic beat]
[continues English] So we are just stepping outside, it's very intense in here
Back to the french vibes
I'm not entirely sure this is any better
I never get this type of Mozarella in Paris, it's never soft like this
Impossible to get this
[in French] Lean a bit forward... Ready!
[continues English] Outside, very smooth and very soft
But inside...
[in Italian] Look at the milk!
[in French] It is to die for!
[in English] So how did you learn to make Mozarella?
[continues Italian] It started as a kid, it was all a game to me
My dad owned a dairy
So I would play with him while he made Mozarella cheese
And my grandfather did it even before him
Truth is, the recipe is secretly handed from father to son
[continues English] - Your son is gonna make Mozarella, you think? - Yes, yes
That's a good point man
So I have a few questions for you because
in Paris I'm trying to make Mozarella myself
I already did some Mozarella, it's a bit yellow, I've got no flavor
I can't make Mozarella like this, I can't make this
But how can I make just a bit better Mozarella?
[continues in Italian] First, you should change the milk you use
Using non-pasteurized milk you'll get better taste
The fattier, the better!
Even with cow's milk, a fattier milk makes for a tastier cheese
You need a good starter, then beautiful curds
and of course they need to be cooked right
[continues in English] So I should be doing tests like you guys do
How do you know if it's good or not good?
[in Italian] When it stretches nicely, that's your moment
[continues in English] So I bought this in a supermarket yesterday
and I want you to tell me what you think
[continues in French] This is an industrial product
- There's no milk - No, there's no milk
There's no juice
[in English] It's way more yellow than this. This one is white! Oh la la!
[continues in Italian] I can feel a man's sensitivity right from the pressing process
Machines, they can't do it right
[continues in English] This is very interesting. I am 100% sure I'm not going to get there
but I can perhaps, just, you know, improve my game a bit
- Grazie mille! - Grazie a te!
- Bon voyage! - Ciao, ciao, arrivederci!
[continues in English] So I'm bringing back a few Mozarella di Campagna all the way to Paris
For science, obviously!
[smooch]
[background noise]
[chill music]
Okay, I'm back at the airport
So about this trip, I've been learning that it takes a whole life basically to make one Mozarella
which is not something I can afford
Yet I think I have enough knowledge right now
to make a better Mozarella
I hope you enjoyed this episode
If you did please give this video a big thumbs up, like it, and share that everywhere
Of course if you like this series and you enjoy the cheese making adventures
feel free to subscribe to subscribe to this channel for more episodes
Bye bye! Salut!
[upbeat music]