It’s one of the questions we’re asked most often in the shop: “So is fior di latte a mozzarella?” The short answer is yes, but with one important difference: the milk it’s made from.
The main difference: the milk
- Fior di latte: made with cow’s milk. It’s the typical fresh cheese of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Monti Lattari.
- Buffalo mozzarella: made with buffalo milk, and typical above all of the areas around Caserta and Salerno.
Both are stretched-curd cheeses: the curd is worked in hot water, “stretched” and then cut off by hand (in Italian, mozzata). That’s where the name mozzarella comes from: it describes the shape and the process, not the type of milk.
Flavour and texture
Fior di latte has a more delicate, sweet taste of fresh milk, and a firmer, more elastic texture. Buffalo mozzarella is richer, more savoury and more intense, and releases more liquid when cut.
Which to use in the kitchen
- Pizza, parmigiana, gnocchi alla sorrentina: fior di latte is better. It releases less water and melts perfectly. It’s no coincidence that it’s the cheese in our gnocchi alla sorrentina recipe.
- Caprese and raw dishes: both work. Fior di latte is lighter and lets the tomato and basil shine.
Braid and tortano: same cheese, different shape
The same curd as fior di latte is also used for the braid and the tortano, the traditional shapes of Sorrento. The shape changes, not the milk: braids are perfect to bring to the table whole and cut as you serve.
How to recognise a good fior di latte
- Smooth, shiny surface, milk-white colour.
- When cut, it releases a few drops of milk.
- It smells of fresh milk, with no sour notes.
And to make it last: here’s how to store fior di latte (and 3 mistakes to avoid).
Our fior di latte
At Caseificio Perrusio we’ve been making it in Meta di Sorrento since 1965, with cow’s milk worked every morning. We always ship it chilled, from Monday to Wednesday, with delivery in 24/48 hours in Italy.
From our dairy
Taste our cheeses
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Consegna in 24 ore dalla spedizione.
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