Mozzarella

@Kurterino

Depending where you live, you may have to make your own. The simplest recipes use milk (not UHT) and white vinegar. To source milk, ask at your local bakeries in town. Good luck !

@Kurterino
Depending where you live, you may have to make your own. The simplest recipes use milk (not UHT) and white vinegar. To source milk, ask at your local bakeries in town. Good luck ! - @bepmoht

I had no idea that it’s possible to make it at home, with nothing but milk and vinegar, and no special equipment other than a thermometer. I’ll probably give it a try!

Thx!😊

@Kurterino Depending where you live, you may have to make your own. The simplest recipes use milk (not UHT) and white vinegar. To source milk, ask at your local bakeries in town. Good luck ! - @bepmoht

Hey bepmoht,

That is really interesting! Thanks for sharing! I will definitely look into it and try it at home. 😊

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

@Kurterino
Depending where you live, you may have to make your own. The simplest recipes use milk (not UHT) and white vinegar. To source milk, ask at your local bakeries in town. Good luck ! - @bepmoht

Well, I did some reading, and it is indeed possible to make mozzarella at home, and all you need is milk and vinegar. However, normally you would need “rennet” (I hope that is the correct word, I think it’s the substance that contains the bacteria necessary to make cheese), and even though you can substitute vinegar for the rennet, it seems that if you want to obtain the consistency and the melting point necessary for the mozzarella you use on pizzas, the vinegar method is no bueno.

I’ll keep looking, maybe there is a shop in Salvador that carries real mozzarella (probably not, but you never know…)

04/10/26 @Kurterino  Well, I did some reading, and it is indeed possible to make mozzarella at home, and all you need is milk and vinegar. However, normally you would need “rennet” (I hope that is the correct word, I think it’s the substance that contains the bacteria necessary to make cheese) - @Kurterino

Rennet is a mixture of digestive enzymes for coagulating milk, historically extracted by processing the stomachs of ruminants, particularly calves, nowadays mostly brewed artificially using bacteria.   The Portuguese term for "rennet" is "coalho líquido".  There's a Brazilian brand called "HA-LA" that I've seen in stores, and that's available from Mercado Livre and Amazon BR.  So, ask around Salvador for coalho líquido and you may have some luck.  I suspect that the Italian cheesemakers still use the traditional form, but the bacteria-based form may get you closer to your goal than vinegar.

@abthree

Yes, HA-LA is very common even in my berg. I see in Farm stores and corner groceries. We have a lot of cows out here in the sticks.

@abthree (remember the Italian groceries in Upstate NY? They always have fresh mozzarella swimming in the whey. Cardonas, Civitellos, De Fazios, Ragonese, Capri… yummy. Not to mention sopressa, oil cured black olives, fried eggplant. You have to love the italians that immigrated from the south of italy. So much great food! manga, manga 🤣

04/10/26 @bepmoht.  Yes indeed -- thanks for the memories! 😃

04/10/26 @Kurterino Well, I did some reading, and it is indeed possible to make mozzarella at home, and all you need is milk and vinegar. However, normally you would need “rennet” (I hope that is the correct word, I think it’s the substance that contains the bacteria necessary to make cheese) - @KurterinoRennet is a mixture of digestive enzymes for coagulating milk, historically extracted by processing the stomachs of ruminants, particularly calves, nowadays mostly brewed artificially using bacteria. The Portuguese term for "rennet" is "coalho líquido". There's a Brazilian brand called "HA-LA" that I've seen in stores, and that's available from Mercado Livre and Amazon BR. So, ask around Salvador for coalho líquido and you may have some luck. I suspect that the Italian cheesemakers still use the traditional form, but the bacteria-based form may get you closer to your goal than vinegar. - @

,

Thank you, it’s indeed available at Mercado Livre. Maybe Ill give it a try 😊

The recipe isn’t too difficult (provided I can find the milk …I never buy milk, I don’t know if the supermarket carries non-UHT milk)

It does look like a recipe that can go wrong quite easily, but it’s worth a try.

@Kurterino

I don’t know the size of the town is where you live. It can make a big difference where you can find non-UHT milk. In large cities some grocery stores do carry regular pasteurized whole milk. It comes in plastic bags usually and it’s refrigerated. In smaller towns, milk can be sometimes found at local bakeries. Sometimes it is the same product as found in the big city supermarkets (again in plastic bags). Where I live, in the rural countryside area, the only milk I see is raw milk sold in reused 2 liter coke bottles. They deliver it to local bakeries or to individuals if you arrange it. Good luck!

@bepmoht

The town where I live is pretty small, but I’m in close proximity to Lauro de Freitas and Salvador. But we do have a little bakery, I’ll try there before driving to Salvador.

@abthree

Where did you get the Buffalo milk necessary for true mozzarella? :-)

05/18/26  Where did you get the Buffalo milk necessary for true mozzarella? :-) - @alexanderstephenlange

That was @Kurterino.  I just suggested to him how he might find rennet. 😃

@abthree
Where did you get the Buffalo milk necessary for true mozzarella? :-) - @alexanderstephenlange

I know that some Mozzarella is made from Buffalo milk, and I also know that it’s considered superior to mozzarella made from

cow milk. However I’m not sure that you need buffalo milk in order to make real (or true) mozzarella. In Switzerland, every supermarket carries  several different mozzarella brands, and most of them are made from cow milk.

In short, I didn’t bother looking for buffalo milk,  I’m getting fresh cow milk from the market, which is open once a week , every Saturday morning. And you have to get there early, not many vendors have milk, and after 9 it’s hit or miss.

Hello alexanderstephenlange,

Please note that I have moved your post, along with the related replies, to this thread as it was off-topic in the other discussion.

Let’s not mix taxes with mozzarella together, not the most delicious combination 😆

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Hello alexanderstephenlange,
Please note that I have moved your post, along with the related replies, to this thread as it was off-topic in the other discussion.

Let’s not mix taxes with mozzarella together, not the most delicious combination 😆

Cheers,

Cheryl
Expat.com team - @Cheryl

Actually it was me who brought up the Mozzarella in the taxes thread. You’re right, it doesn’t belong there, sorry about that.

Oh no worries! All good now 😉

I was very happy to hear that you tried it and that it was a success.