An extraordinary journey into the memory of the Sele plain, surrounded by tools that speak of human history, ingenious work tools, documents, photos and many objects of the daily life of the buffalo farmers, farmers, craftsmen and housewives who populated these lands where the they appeared in ancient times.
It is the experience that from 15 June it will be possible to experience by visiting the Museum of Buffalo and Mozzarella in Battipaglia, the first demo-ethno-anthropological museum exhibition dedicated to the history of the coexistence of man with buffalo in the Piana del Sele which will open its doors inside the Masseria La Morella, an ancient eighteenth-century complex surrounded by over 30 hectares of orchards, citrus groves and vineyards.
Most of the documents, photos and objects that are kept in it are the result of the passionate and patient relationship building and collection operation that the Feudo Ron Alfrè Association has carried out for over a decade, with the most recent collaboration of Masseria La Morella which hosts the initiative by making its history and premises available.
Among the immense spaces and among the many structures that characterized the large farms of the past, you will also be able to see two Bufalare, buildings used for centuries for the production of buffalo milk and as a shelter for Gualani and Bufalari.
The buffalo, according to the most recurring thesis, appeared in Italy towards the end of the XNUMXth century, with the barbarian invasions and the descent of the Lombards from Agilulfo. What is certain is that in the early Middle Ages buffaloes were raised in the Pontine marshes as evidenced in the documents of the Abbey of Farfa (Lazio) in the XNUMXth century, and later in the Angevin era (XNUMXth century) by a decree of King Charles I of Anjou , in which it is ordered to return a tamed buffalo, i.e. a "work" buffalo. But above all it is certain that in the XNUMXth century the monks of the Monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua offered the members of the Chapter, on the occasion of the celebration of the feast of the patron saint, a mozzarella o proof of buffalo with a piece of bread.
Of course, the Battipaglia buffaloes, today peaceful animals destined for the production of the raw material of one of the leading products of Made in Italy in the world, the Mozzarella di Bufala and the Ricotta di Bufala, increasingly in demand by pastry chefs, have not always enjoyed a good reputation, at least since bucolic point of view As evidenced by a text taken from the Grand Tour by Carlo Ulisse Marschlins, in 1796): "These animals are tamed sooner than one might believe, and with surprise I saw them patiently bear the beatings of their handlers, seated on their backs, armed with spear-shaped sticks.
There isn't much to trust though; and their surly appearance and treacherous eye demonstrate the falsity of their character. An ox immediately forgets even the undeserved blow he received; the buffalo not only remembers it, but calmly waits for the opportunity to take revenge. The following anecdote, which I relate on the authority of a great gentleman, owner of innumerable herds of buffaloes….A young handler without judgement, so irritated a buffalo with blows and ill treatment, that the poor beast, excited to excess, he hurled furiously at his offender and would have killed him, without the providential intervention of another conductor.
This buffalo came immediately afterwards, sent with other animals, to a different and distant point of the district; but having happened two years later that same young man to cross the meadow where his ancient enemy grazed, the buffalo had only to see him to immediately remember him; and, he did not immediately attack him but followed him in his path, and when he saw him lying under a tree ready to sleep, he ran to him and badly wounded him with his butts. Although some circumstances make this fact somewhat improbable, I have related it because the person who related it to me is worthy of the greatest faith; however what I am going to say in proof of the great sagacity of the buffalo, and which is attested by everyone in the area, listen if it does not deserve special consideration".
But despite its great flavor, the word Bufala has acquired over time the meaning of a false or unlikely statement.
The term almost certainly derives from Rome. The first written attestations date back to the 50s and the word was directed towards poor quality film productions, as Ercole Patti affirms in his novel "A love in Rome", slowly assuming the meaning of rip-off in general over time. Another theory indicates that some dishonest Roman restaurateurs deceived customers by serving them buffalo meat rather than veal, which is more expensive and valuable. According to the Vocabolario della Crusca, the term "buffalo" derives from the expression "leading by the nose like a buffalo", or taking the interlocutor for a walk by dragging him as one does with oxen and buffaloes by the ring attached to the nose.
But returning to the character of the buffaloes, the Battipaglia Mozzarella Museum also mentions an episode that cast a dark shadow on the indolent placidness of the buffaloes.
In the Cronache e Statuti sopra gli Studi di Storia Patria of the provinces of Tuscany, Umbria and Marche, the historian Niccola reports that "In 1458 in the middle of April, a hoax was in Rome, which had an evil spirit on it, and killed 13 people, among ' such as a bishop who lived outside the Latin gate. 100 crossbowmen and scoppettieri came out of said gate, and they could not do anything to them, and on the 15th of said month many more people came out with crossbows and shotguns, and wounded said buffalo in several places behind it. We were told here by trustworthy people that the hoax spoke and said, "if you don't give me your heart, you can't kill me" and so wounded she went into the river. It was said that he wore the spirit of a homicidal thief called Caprino, executed in Rome a short time before these things were said”.
The new Mozzarella Museum does not limit itself to displaying artifacts and documents, but has been conceived to lead visitors on engaging educational itineraries, with the help of exhibition expedients and the support of laboratories.
The public will be accompanied on guided tours of the buffalo farms with the ancient dairy, to the conserve cellar to discover the processing of butter (3 meters underground, in an optimal context for humidity) with the ancient still functioning churns, in the smoking area – where the provature, tied with rushes, and hung from a long rod, were smoked from corn cores – and the fuscella laboratory. In short, a full-cycle knowledge
