Mozzarella Sticks and Why We Do Not Make Them
You searched for mozzarella sticks. We do not fry mozzarella. This page explains what happens to it here, so you know before you sit down.
You do not have to know any of this
You typed mozzarella sticks into a search box. That is a normal thing to want, and nobody at this table thinks less of you for it.
This page is not a correction. It answers one question: what happens to mozzarella here, and why it does not come out breaded. Read it, or skip it and order what you like.
What a mozzarella stick is
A mozzarella stick is a piece of cheese cut into a baton, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. It is served hot, usually with a dip. You find it in bars, in diners and in freezer aisles in many countries.
The cheese used for it is normally a firm mozzarella with little moisture. That is the point of it. A dry cheese holds its shape in hot oil long enough to be picked up with your fingers.
Why fior di latte does not become a stick
Our mozzarella is fior di latte, made from cow's milk, and it comes from Italy. It is a fresh cheese and it carries a lot of water. That water is useful on a pizza and awkward in hot oil.
The rulebook of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, published at pizzanapoletana.org, names fior di latte among the mozzarellas used on a Neapolitan pizza. That is the job we bought it for. The craft itself sits on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, at ich.unesco.org, which gives you an idea of how settled the method is.
Where the mozzarella actually goes
It goes on the dough. The dough is a biga, 48 hours of fermentation at 77 percent hydration. The tomatoes are San Marzano, also from Italy. The oven is copper, gas fired, and it runs at 400 degrees.
Daniele, born in Naples in 1989, makes the pizza. In that oven the fior di latte has seconds, not minutes. It softens, it lets go of some water, and it stays milky. Breadcrumbs would have nothing to do there.
Come and see what we do with it
We are at 1 Aristotelous in Larnaca, Tuesday to Sunday, 18:00 to 22:00. Monday we are closed. There is a natural wine list as well, and it changes, so ask what is open when you sit down.
Questions people ask before they come
Q.Do you serve mozzarella sticks?
No, we do not make them. The mozzarella we buy is fior di latte from Italy, and it goes on the pizza.
Q.Is that the same cheese used in mozzarella sticks?
Usually not. Sticks are normally made with a firm, low moisture mozzarella. Fior di latte is a fresh cheese and holds much more water.
Q.When are you open?
Tuesday to Sunday, 18:00 to 22:00, at 1 Aristotelous in Larnaca. Monday we are closed.
Q.Can I see the wine list before I come?
The natural wine list changes, so we do not publish what is open tonight. Ask at the table and someone will talk you through it.