Bubalus Bubalis Mozzarella di Bufala
Latin for water buffalo, the name of this West Coast brand is as much fun to say as the cheese is to eat. It’s made from the milk of contented Northern California water buffalos, and available sporadically at the new Avenue C foodie haven, Barnyard ($10). There are those aficionados who believe that a pizza Margherita isn’t a pizza Margherita unless it’s anointed with judicious dots of real mozzarella di bufala. It’s a sentiment shared by New York’s own number-one pieman, Una Pizza Napoletana’s Anthony Mangieri, who uses the Bubalus Bubalis brand at his East Village pizzeria (Barnyard, 149 Avenue C., nr. 9th St.; 212-674-2276).
Di Bruno Bros. Burrata
A superb burrata (a fresh mozzarella pouch of sorts filled with mozzarella curds and cream) handmade at this great old Philadelphia cheese shop. Jonathan Benno is a fan (he serves it at Per Se), and so is Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, who receives fresh shipments every Friday ($11.99). The burrata is wrapped in leek leaves, which traditionally served as a safety seal of sorts: If the leaves had begun to yellow, you knew the cheese was past its expiration date. It might be the best thing to come out of Philly since the cheesesteak (120 Essex St., nr. Delancey St.; 212-228-8204).
Bufala di Vermont Mozzarella di Bufala
You might know this pioneering creamery by its former name (Woodstock Water Buffalo) and its tangy water-buffalo yogurt. It’s also the source for terrific mozzarella di bufala made from the milk of a free-roaming, grass-and-hay-fed herd that, according to the brochure, sleeps on waterbeds. (Served at Obikà, and available at bufaladivermont.com; $30 for four.)