A soft, white cheese with a mild flavor, traditionally made from buffalo milk or cow's milk, popular on pizza and in salads.
From Italian mozzarella, derived from mozza (the act of cutting), from Italian mozzare (to cut). The cheese was named for the method of cutting the heated curds. It originated in Southern Italy around the 16th century.
Mozzarella literally means 'the cut' in Italian — it's named after the specific technique of cutting and stretching the hot cheese curds that gives it its distinctive texture. When you stretch mozzarella, you're performing the same ancient process that gave the cheese its name.
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