Costa Cruises to Produce Italian Mozzarella Onboard

Costa Cruises has announced the arrival to its fleet of Italian mozzarella produced directly on board. 

Produced through a collaboration with Latteria del Curatino, the mozzarella is made onboard Costa ships thanks to a Comat's steam and electricity-powered machine. The key ingredient is the curd of cow and buffalo milk that comes from the Piana del Sele (Salerno) area. The stretched curd produced by the machine is then rolled into a ball (‘mozzato') to create a mozzarella as tradition demands, or artfully shaped and moulded by the expert hands of the cheesemakers to become buffalo mozzarella, "fior di latte", "burrata", "stracciata", "zizzona", "sfoglia" and scamorza cheese. As well as providing guests with a fresh and tasty speciality, preventing storage at low temperatures from impairing its flavor and aroma, this new service will also make it possible to eliminate waste by producing only the exact quantity of mozzarella necessary, Costa said.

The mozzarella and other traditional Italian cheese specialities produced on board are the stars of the special "Goccialatte" menu available in the onboard "Pummid'oro" pizzerias. The menu will comprise a mozzarella roll with salad, vegetables and smoked salmon; tomato and buffalo mozzarella done three different ways; tuna with Doganella oil, red onions and burrata; beef carpaccio with a chicory salad and smoked scamorza; warm focaccia, mortadella and stracciatella cheese served with pickled vegetables made on board; Neapolitan peasant bread, porcini, fior di latte cheese and guanciale.

Fior di latte and buffalo mozzarella will also be used for the pizzas of the Pummid'oro pizzeria, prepared exclusively with sourdough and select ingredients, thanks to the support of the University of Food Science of Pollenzo. Over the following months the cheese specialities will also enrich the dishes of the regional menus served in the onboard restaurants.

The daily production of the mozzarella will be overseen on each ship by two specialist cheesemakers that have attended a specific training course held on board by expert Latteria del Curatino cheesemakers.

Visit www.costacruise.com