Antica Mozzata di Battipaglia® is the brand with which our dairy, Caseificio La Fattoria, is on the buffalo milk mozzarella market. A legend is associated with it, the Legend of the Ancient Mozzata of Battipaglia, which combines mythological elements with traditional elements to recall and keep alive the ancient origins of the Battipaglia dairy tradition.
The legend of the Ancient Mozzata of Battipaglia
An ancient legend tells of the Etruscan nymph Baptì-Palìa, reigning in the marshes of the Battipaglia plain which extended towards the sea. She jealously guarded the secret of Mozzata di Bufala (the ancient name of Buffalo Mozzarella), a delicious food reserved exclusively for the Gods.
At dawn every day, the nymph dedicated herself to milking the buffaloes that grazed wild in the marshes and, after a complex and mysterious procedure, she set about “spinning” the curd. And from the soft pearly dough he “cut off” spherical pieces, to obtain the precious Mozzata. In the end, after having carefully prepared it and placed it in wicker baskets, adorning it with myrtle twigs and other aromatic herbs to enhance its flavour, she went to the home of the Gods to offer it to their table.
Fate wanted it that one day the nymph Baptì-Palìa came across a young shepherd named Tusciano, who was lying sweetly asleep on the river bank. Taken by the rare beauty of Tusciano, she fell in love with him and, after waking him up with delicate caresses, declared her love for him and, as a pledge of it, revealed to him the secret of Mozzata di Bufala. The young man, naively and to make himself proud, revealed this secret to the people of the nearby districts. The Gods, angry that mortals had come into possession of the secret of the Mozzata di Bufala, punished the nymph and her lover, condemning them to wander the swamps, without ever being able to meet.
Some swear that for centuries, on moonlit nights, near these ancient marshes, the distant voices of the two lovers could still be heard calling each other, trying in vain to reach each other.
Today, fortunately, the two lovers can be said to be reunited, since the nymph Baptì-Palìa has become the industrious town of Battipaglia, which holds its Tusciano in an eternal embrace, transformed into the river that crosses it. And Battipaglia has returned, as in ancient times, to wake up at dawn to milk the buffaloes scattered across the plain, and with their milk it revives, through its artisans, expert “cheese makers”, the daily ritual of the Antica Mozzata di Hoax.
A secret that many, outside our lands, try to steal, but even today all attempts have been in vain.