Italy’s latest scandal could be subtitled “The Godfather Goes Gourmet.”
According to a story in today’s New York Times, some of the prized mozzarella di bufala from the area around Naples has been found to have elevated levels of the carcinogen dioxin. The contamination, it seems, is coming from huge-scale, illegal dumping and burning of toxic trash. And that toxic trash, it seems, is being dumped by the Camorra, an organized crime group that makes tons of money dumping it. Mob activity in Italy being what it is, no one has sought to stop the dumping, even though local officials are alleged to be in on the non-secret. 
Moreover, Reuters reports that the Italian government has already sealed off 83 dairy farms in the region, alleging that one of every five dairies sampled was using tainted milk. South Korea and Japan have announced bans on the import of the cheese.
The Italian Foreign Minister calls the alarm “totally exaggerated and unjustified.”
Not all mozzarella is made from the milk of water buffalos. The cheaper stuff that’s piled on pizzas in the U.S. is made with cow's milk. Cow’s milk mozzarella comes in “regular” which is made in factories and is firm and rather rubbery; and “fresh” which is packaged in water or whey and has a much softer texture and fresher flavor.
Buffalo mozzarella, which can cost up to twice the price of regular, is prized for its soft, supple texture and sweet, delicate flavor. 
Most aficionados prefer to eat it by itself, topped with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and cracked pepper. The popular Caprese salad consists of overlapping slivers of ripe tomato and buffalo mozzarella, sprinkled with a chiffonade of fresh basil leaves.
Given that tomato season is just around the corner, this is clearly no time for a mozzarella crisis. While the Italians figure out the extent of their problem, savvy cheese lovers in the U..S. will look to the fresh burrata, a cousin of mozzarella, being made by Gioia Cheese Co. in South El Monte, CA. 
The deliriously rich and creamy burrata, a native of Italy’s Puglia region, can best be described as “mozzarella stuffed with mozzarella.” The outside is pure curd; the inside is a chunky mix of unfinished curd and heavy cream. It’s divine.
The cheese, which is so delicate it must be eaten within a day or two or purchase, can be found throughout California at upscale supermarkets and some farmers markets. It’s also available on-line at Frogs Breath Cheese Store.
Comments