a soft, fresh Italian cheese traditionally made with buffalo milk and dating back at least as far as the beginning of the 15th century, when it was called simply mozza. It is now prepared almost exclusively from cow's milk, in which version it is sometimes distinguished from the true mozzarella by the name fiordilatte. It melts well and is used in cookery besides being eaten at table. Its popularity extends outside Italy; it is made in the USA and Denmark.
A mozzarella cheese is small, seldom weighing more than 500 g (1 lb), and usually egg shaped (although Danish mozzarella is rectangular).
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
