Where the Buffalo Roam

This California-made mozzarella stands out from the herd.

Slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella and ripe tomato make smoldering plate mates, but you don’t need to look to Italy to satisfy your love. Bubalus Bubalis (from the scientific name for the water buffalo), a five-year-old cheese company based in Gardena, CA, stations 300 of its own beasts here in Northern California. Whereas much of the cow’s-milk mozzarella we get here is bland and bouncy, a slice of Bubalus’s is almost oozy and decidedly rich. Hanns Heick, who owns the business with his Italian wife, Grazia Perrella, says this complexity is due in part to the characteristics of the milk and the fact that the cheese is made using natural enzymes rather than vinegar (the result is that it’s virtually lactose-free). Invite some basil to participate, and you’ve got the ultimate ménage à trois.

A ball of Bubalus Bubalis mozzarella is available for $8 at Cowgirl Creamery, Ferry Building Marketplace, 415-362-9354.

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