Buffalo's milk cheeses
Mozzarella di bufala, Indian paneer and chhena, kesong puti and the dangke of Sulawesi.
Buffalo's milk is white, sweet and rich, with more fat and protein than cow's milk, and it makes some of the best-loved fresh cheeses in the world. India and Pakistan keep most of the world's water buffaloes, and much of India's paneer is made from their milk. In Italy, buffaloes of Campania and Lazio give mozzarella di bufala, and in the Philippines, carabao milk makes kesong puti.
In South Asia
In India, Pakistan and Nepal, buffalo milk is the everyday milk of many households, prized for its thick curd and rich ghee. It gives a soft, rich paneer and more curd from each litre than cow's milk. Sweet makers in Bengal and Odisha often prefer cow's milk chhena for rasgulla, since buffalo chhena is heavier and less spongy. Murrah, from Haryana and Punjab, is the best known dairy breed. Surti paneer from Gujarat, set with rennet and kept in whey, is made from buffalo milk.
Mozzarella di bufala
Water buffaloes have been kept in southern Italy for centuries, and the marshy plains of Campania suited them. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, protected since 1996, is made only from the milk of water buffaloes raised in defined areas of Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise. It is softer, wetter and more tangy than cow's milk mozzarella, and is best eaten within a day or two of making. The same herds give a protected buffalo ricotta, and buffalo milk is also made into stracciatella and small aged cheeses.
Southeast Asia and beyond
In the Philippines, kesong puti is a soft white cheese of carabao milk, often wrapped in banana leaf, from provinces such as Laguna and Bulacan. In Sulawesi, Indonesia, the dangke of Enrekang is made from buffalo or cow's milk set with papaya sap and pressed in coconut shells. Egypt's domiati is often made from buffalo milk, and in the marshes of southern Iraq, buffalo milk becomes gaymar, a thick clotted cream eaten with honey. Buffalo dairies have also spread to Britain, the United States and Australia.
Worth knowing
- Buffalo mozzarella: Protected buffalo-milk mozzarella of Campania
- Paneer: Often made from buffalo milk in India
- Surti paneer: Soft rennet-set cheese of Surat, kept in whey
- Kesong puti: Philippine carabao-milk cheese in banana leaf
- Dangke: Sulawesi cheese set with papaya sap
- Domiati: Egyptian white brined cheese
- Chhena: Fresh curd for sweets, from cow or buffalo milk
Good to know
- Eat buffalo mozzarella as fresh as possible, at room temperature; chill it in its liquid if it must wait.
- Buffalo-milk paneer is soft and rich; press it longer for a firmer block.
- Its whiteness is natural, since buffalo milk carries almost no carotene.
Sources and further reading
- Buffalo mozzarella on Wikipedia
- Water buffalo, Wikipedia
- Kesong puti, Wikipedia
- Surti paneer, Wikipedia
Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.
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