On Saturday 24 October Pedro set off for Amaseno, an uncontaminated and nuclear-free municipality on the border of the province between Frosinone and Latina, a rainy day did not manage to ruin this wonderful experience that began with Michela and Maurizio, a very young municipal administrator who participation illustrated the transition from a weak and depressed economy to a strong and lively economy with dozens of fervent farms with an estimate of 12,500 buffaloes in the municipality of Ciociaria alone… the particularly fertile soil allows even 2 harvests per year of corn and maize….
I met Domenico’s farm and dairy, owner of the Fattoria Di Nonna Pitta, the first to breed the first buffaloes and to make buffalo cheese, from there a great adventure began which currently has 500 heads of various ages all reared with a particular care and with cutting-edge technology that daily monitors the health of the buffaloes with a computerized system and with the milking of about 700 liters of milk. Through a painstaking operation that aims at the healthiness and daily processing of the milk collected and directly packed in steel silos, ready to be transformed…
The buffalo mozzarella from Amaseno is part of the Consorzio della Bufala Campana, but it is good to distinguish it, not only for the delicately savory flavor and with a soft and not at all acidulous “fiber” but above all for the location and care for the animals where they even sleep here on soft rubber mattresses and massaged by large automatic brushes… the buffalo is an extraordinarily mild animal, nice and curious… from the very beginning she finds it hard to trust but in a short time her curiosity pushes her to smell you and let you gently caress…. Mozzarella of any size has a sweet and full flavored stringy content… from the farmers to the veterinarian to the cheesemaker everything is managed with skilful professionalism, focusing on animal health… this surprised me… a tiring life whose results are dairy, ricotta in various flavors, provola also smoked, yogurt and the typical semi-aged buffalo milk cheese “Nero di Amaseno” that I will experiment with in the next recipes… risking a cheese and buffalo pepper.
All these efforts have as a synthesis a great olfactory result that is appreciated by tasting these products from which I expected a lot, but not so much and my friend Gianno was right who in this regard had told me that the Amaseno mozzarella “is proof that God exists” and how not to blame him!!! for Antonio the only regret is not being able to market the buffalo butter which he tells me is delicious…. from my grandma pitta farm I moved to another large “Ponte di Legno” farm where I was able to appreciate as many quality products, even small single-portion ricottine, here the activity starts at 2 am….
Finally, passing through streams and fountains rich in water that will form the Amaseno river, we arrive at the Lauretti farm and then at his butcher’s shop where Antonio as a practical entrepreneur and connoisseur not only of buffaloes but of Chianine and Angus as well as of black pigs with journalistic knowledge (he has collaborated with eataly in specialized courses) he explains how to deal with a conscious and respectful production of the environment and of livestock that is absolutely not intensive even when starting the slaughter where the animals must be respected and cared for to avoid unnecessary suffering … he explains that he provides many known Roman restaurateurs and butchers, but that his privileged customers are those who go to his butchery…. where you can see an extremely clean and tidy exposed laboratory… His company “resists” the consumerist demand for “soft” meats such as hamburgers and states that the animals of an intensive farming have tender and white meat unlike those raised by him that go to pasture and where the meat and muscles of the beasts are toned and sprayed with blood rich in substances, so it is more fibrous and dark, but it is synonymous with quality on a par with free-range chickens compared to those in battery… his passion for animals and for his profession it must be safeguarded as it is a principle of slowfood.
The Amaseno tour could only head towards Guarcino from the famous Erzino ham factory where among hams also smoked with juniper and pillows and bacon as well as porchetta I meet Anna with whom we share the passion for traditional cuisine that every Sunday in addition to the cheese and salami platters offers to tempting prices with typical dishes such as Pasta and Beans and Chickpeas Beans with pork rinds but also Carbonara and Amatriciana… from here then, on returning to Rome I could only pass through the territory of my hotel school in Fiuggi for a quick greeting to the memories and friends…
