A Guide To The Unique Flavor Of Water Buffalo Cheese

Water buffalo cheese is made from water buffalo milk, which is sweeter and contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. The amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk and the protein content is 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

Stronger tangier taste

Water buffalo cheese has a unique flavour that is stronger and tangier than cow's milk mozzarella. It is easier to tear apart and has a spongy feel when squeezed lightly between the fingertips. It has a milky, sweet, pure, gooey, silky flavour that is more decadent and rich than cow's milk mozzarella.

Water buffalo cheese is made from the milk of Italian Mediterranean buffalo by the pasta filata method. The milk contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. Despite the higher fat content, the amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk. The protein content is also 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

Water buffalo cheese is often used in dishes such as Bagot ni horbo, Dali ni horbo, or simply Dali – a cheese-like traditional Batak dish from Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia with a yellowish white appearance with tofu-like texture and milky flavour. Dali is made by boiling buffalo milk coagulated with papaya leaf or unripe pineapple juice.

Water buffalo cheese is worth hunting down as it is worth the effort. One Italian producer, Quattro Portoni, makes and exports a range of buffalo milk products that are occasionally available at Murray's Cheese and Eataly. One of their favourite cheeses is the small, semi-firm, tomme-like Moringhello di Bufala—it's tart, rich, and mild, with a dry edible rind and a dense, chalky, yet smooth texture.

Creamy and decadent

Water buffalo cheese is produced using the milk from the water buffalo. Despite the higher fat content, the amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk. The protein content is also 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

The substance contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. One bite of its milky, sweet, pure, gooey, silky perfection is all it takes to convert chefs, diners, consumers and foodies. The milk is also sweeter, which really stands out in fresh cheeses, says David DiLoreto, owner of Fading D Farm, a family-owned farmstead water buffalo dairy in Salisbury, NC.

Physically speaking, the cheese made from water buffalo milk was a brighter white, softer, less firm, and more moist. It was easier to tear apart the Mozzarella di Bufala than the cow milk variety. Squeezed lightly between the fingertips, Mozzarella di Bufala felt a little spongy compared to the other kind. In terms of taste, the Mozzarella di Bufala had a stronger (but not too strong), tangier, almost (but not quite) sour taste to it.

If you're curious to try some aged buffalo cheese for yourself, do some digging or pester your cheesemonger, who might be able to track down a few imported versions. One Italian producer, Quattro Portoni, makes and exports a range of buffalo milk products that are occasionally available at Murray's Cheese and Eataly. One of my favorites from this producer is the small, semi-firm, tomme-like Moringhello di Bufala—it's tart, rich, and mild, with a dry edible rind and a dense, chalky, yet smooth texture. Another Quattro Portoni cheese, Bufarolo, is finished in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, at Crown Finish Caves, making it almost certainly the only aged Italian-American water buffalo cheese out there.

Sweet, pure, gooey, silky

Water buffalo cheese is produced using the milk from the water buffalo. Some buffalo milk cheeses are produced using the milk from other animals as well, such as cow's milk. Bagot ni horbo, dali ni horbo, or simply dali – a cheese-like traditional Batak dish from Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia, with a yellowish white appearance with tofu-like texture and milky flavor. Dali is made by boiling buffalo milk coagulated with papaya leaf or unripe pineapple juice. Buffalo mozzarella – a mozzarella made from the milk of Italian Mediterranean buffalo by the pasta filata method.

Mozzarella di Bufala is a miraculous food. One bite of its milky, sweet, pure, gooey, silky perfection is all it takes to convert chefs, diners, consumers and foodies. Its nearly sole ingredient is water buffalo milk. What is it about buffalo milk that’s so special? The substance contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. Despite the higher fat content, the amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk. The protein content is also 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

Mozzarella di Bufala had a stronger (but not too strong), tangier, almost (but not quite) sour taste to it. The milk is also sweeter, which really stands out in fresh cheeses, says David DiLoreto, owner of Fading D Farm, a family-owned farmstead water buffalo dairy in Salisbury, NC, which he runs with his wife Faythe. If you're curious to try some aged buffalo cheese for yourself, do some digging or pester your cheesemonger, who might be able to track down a few imported versions. One Italian producer, Quattro Portoni, makes and exports a range of buffalo milk products that are occasionally available at Murray's Cheese and Eataly. One of my favorites from this producer is the small, semi-firm, tomme-like Moringhello di Bufala—it's tart, rich, and mild, with a dry edible rind and a dense, chalky, yet smooth texture.

Tart, rich, and mild

Water buffalo cheese is a miraculous food that is tart, rich, and mild. It is made from water buffalo milk, which is sweeter and contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. Despite the higher fat content, the amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk. The protein content is also 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

Mozzarella di Bufala is a miraculous food that has a stronger (but not too strong), tangier, almost (but not quite) sour taste to it. It is easier to tear apart the Mozzarella di Bufala than the cow milk variety. Squeezed lightly between the fingertips, Mozzarella di Bufala felt a little spongy compared to the other kind.

Bagot ni horbo, dali ni horbo, or simply dali – a cheese-like traditional Batak dish from Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia, with a yellowish white appearance with tofu-like texture and milky flavor. Dali is made by boiling buffalo milk coagulated with papaya leaf or unripe pineapple juice.

Quattro Portoni is an Italian producer that makes and exports a range of buffalo milk products that are occasionally available at Murray's Cheese and Eataly. One of their favorites from this producer is the small, semi-firm, tomme-like Moringhello di Bufala—it's tart, rich, and mild, with a dry edible rind and a dense, chalky, yet smooth texture.

Unique flavour, sweeter milk

Water buffalo cheese is produced using the milk from the water buffalo. Some buffalo milk cheeses are produced using the milk from other animals as well, such as cow's milk. Bagot ni horbo, dali ni horbo, or simply dali – a cheese-like traditional Batak dish from Tapanuli, North Sumatra, Indonesia, with a yellowish white appearance with tofu-like texture and milky flavor. Dali is made by boiling buffalo milk coagulated with papaya leaf or unripe pineapple juice. Buffalo mozzarella – a mozzarella made from the milk of Italian Mediterranean buffalo by the pasta filata method.

The substance contains about twice the fat of cow’s milk, making it creamy and decadent. Despite the higher fat content, the amount of cholesterol of water buffalo milk is lower than cow’s milk. The protein content is also 30 percent higher than that of cow’s milk, which creates its distinctive, luscious richness.

In terms of taste, the Mozzarella di Bufala had a stronger (but not too strong), tangier, almost (but not quite) sour taste to it. One bite of its milky, sweet, pure, gooey, silky perfection is all it takes to convert chefs, diners, consumers and foodies. “It has a flavor that is uniquely its own. The milk is also sweeter, which really stands out in fresh cheeses,” says David DiLoreto, owner of Fading D Farm, a family-owned farmstead water buffalo dairy in Salisbury, NC, which he runs with his wife Faythe.

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