Are mozzarella sticks “authentic” Italian food? | The kitchen

— Cooking with Adam Liaw S2 airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. starting March 21, or stream it for free on SBS On Demand. Watch the Mozzarella episode on Monday March 21. —

Fried cheese sticks are kid-friendly, economical, and provide that chewy, melty texture you’d normally only get on pizza or as a topping on pastries. The most commonly used cheese is mozzarella, and although you’ve seen them on their rounds recently, they have a burning history dating back to the 14th century.

The first iterations were actually developed in France. A French cookbook dating back to 1393 refers to cheese breaded in a moist batter of egg yolks, flour, salt and wine (yes, wine!), then fried in a hot iron skillet. I suddenly imagine a stick of fried mozzarella in a pub in medieval France, in a tavern somewhere in the middle of the woods. Can you imagine a Knight roundtable, strategizing for his next plan of attack with a few pints and a couple of mozzarella sticks?

The modern version you see today reappeared in the 60s and 70s, when frying technology took dive clubs, restaurants and bars by storm. Joel Jensen, food historian also notes the mass production of mozzarella at this time in this stick’s journey to success.

A French cookbook dating back to 1393 refers to cheese breaded in a moist batter of egg yolks, flour, salt and wine (yes, wine!), then fried in a hot iron skillet.

New Zealand chef Morgan McGlone brings them to The Cook Up kitchen for the show’s second-season premiere, where he makes them a little bigger and serves the sticks with a smoky sauce.

Personally, I love these little guys. They are crispy on the outside with perfect resistance when you first bite into them. I prefer them dipped in ketchup, the cheese is already oozing. My favorite came from a small corner pizzeria in New York. In the United States, you see them most often in pizzerias and Italian street stalls. It seems that the Italian-American culinary community has accepted them wholeheartedly. Alas, I am not an expert in Italian cuisine. But I asked one.

“I don’t agree that fried mozzarella is a French dish,” says Martino Pulito, executive chef of Star Sydney’s Cucina Porto. “We believe it was born in Italy – particularly in central and southern Italy where a few different recipes were created. One of the most famous dishes we have is bocconcini panati (crumbled mozzarella) , used everywhere as an appetizer – a great bite to use with prosciutto, panzerotti and olives.”

The Pulito raised in Puglia personally loves “fried mozzarella, especially when fresh. It offers a culinary journey that other fried dishes do not. The crispy exterior made from bread or beer batter is crazy experience, then when cut in half, and you see the stringy cheese – delicious!”

These delicacies are “a bit Italian”, says the chef. “Very loud and rowdy on the outside, but when you dig a little deeper, we’re sweet at heart.”

Expert or not, I think they are worth a try. You can never go wrong with a little fried cheese.

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