The first time we saw a zizzona on the counter of a dairy in Battipaglia, our jaws dropped: an enormous mozzarella, white and glossy, with an unmistakable shape. Its name, in dialect, says it all. Here is what it is and why it has become a symbol of the town.
An oversized mozzarella
The zizzona is a large buffalo milk mozzarella, shaped by hand into a rounded form that resembles a breast: hence the name, which in dialect means precisely "big breast". The most common weight is around 5 kilos, but there are even bigger ones, up to 15 kilos.
It was born in Battipaglia in the late 1980s, in 1988, from the idea of a local dairy entrepreneur, and soon became a defining product for the whole town. It has been so successful that today it is made elsewhere too, and it even made a cameo appearance in the film Benvenuti al Sud.
How it is made
The process is that of traditional mozzarella, just on a larger scale. Natural starter cultures are added to warmed buffalo milk; the curd is broken up and left to mature in the whey for a few hours, then cut into strips and stretched in almost boiling water. This is where the cheesemakers' expert hands come in, giving the curd its characteristic shape before it goes into cold water and brine.
A curiosity: the zizzona does not fall under Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, because the product specification requires sizes between 10 and 800 grams (up to 3 kilos only for braids). It is, however, born in the same area, the Sele plain, which lies within the DOP production zone.
Buffalo country
Battipaglia lies at the heart of the Sele plain, one of the most important areas for buffalo farming in Campania. Driving the roads between Battipaglia, Eboli and Capaccio Paestum, you pass dozens of dairies and see buffaloes grazing: we suggest stopping at one of them to taste freshly made mozzarella.
How to enjoy it
A zizzona is for sharing: it is perfect for a big family meal or a table of friends, cut into thick slices, perhaps with tomatoes and a drizzle of oil. The producers' advice is not to eat it straight away but to wait at least one day after it is made, when the flavour is more balanced. Keep it out of the fridge in its brine and eat it within a few days.
Nearby
To discover the province's other flavours, start with What to eat in Salerno and our guide Salerno and its surroundings. A few kilometres from Battipaglia you will find Paestum and its temples and the Carciofo di Paestum IGP; for a day in nature there is The Persano WWF Oasis.
Top photo (Battipaglia): Freed73, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
