Here's the entry from the old 1953 USDA Handbook No. 54
Cheese Varieties and Descriptions
Scamorze
Scamorze (of Scarmorze), which is a small, soft, mild, plastic-curd
(pasta filata) cheese, was first made in Abruzzi and Molise in central
Italy from buffalo's milk. Production has spread to other parts of Italy,
and it is now made also from cow's milk and occasionally from goat's milk.
It is made mostly in autumn. Like Mozzarella, it is eaten while fresh.
It is said to be very tasty when toasted with bread or fried with an egg.
The surface has a yellow tint. It is oval in shape, with an indentation
and lappets at the top, for handling. The cheeses usually weigh between
1/4 and 1/2 pound but may weigh as much as 2 1/2 pounds.
Scamorze is made much the same way as Caciocavallo, except that
Scamorze is not cured. Cream from the evening milk is mixed with morning
milk in a kettle and warmed to a temperature of 95 to 98 F. Starter is
added, color may be added, and sufficient rennet is added to coagulate
the milk in from 30 to 35 minutes. The surface is turned under with a
scoop; a few minutes later the curd is stirred with a paddle and then it
is cut with a harp to pieces the size of a hazelnut. The whey and curd
are stirred with a mechanical stirrer. After the curd settles, the whey
is removed and the curd is collected in a cloth and transferred to a vat.
More whey is squeezed out of the curd; then warm water or whey (at a
temperature of 113 to 122 F.) is poured over the curd, and it is kneaded
and stretched in the hot liquid and then collected in a mass. The
temperature of the whey or water is increased to between 130 and 140 F.
to keep the curd very warm, and kneading and stretching are continued
until the curd is smooth and cohesive and will form long threads when it
is stretched.
At this stage, the curd is cut into ****tions and each ****tion is cut
into slices which are placed in a vat. Water heated almost to the boiling
point (or preferably hot fresh whey) is poured over the slices, and they
are kneaded and pressed with a paddle while they are immersed. The mass
then is stretched by hand and with the paddle until it is very compact
and elastic. It is drawn out into a rope, and this is divided into
****tions the size of a turkey egg or lemon - one for each Scamorze. In
making soft Scamorze, each piece is folded several times; in making firm
Scamorze, the pieces are drawn out and wound on a reel. Then each piece
is immersed in hot water, and as it cools it is shaped by hand and then
is placed in a small mold.Later, the cheeses are tied in pairs and
immersed in salt brine. They are dried in air and then are ready for
****pment. The yield is 10 to 11 pounds per 100 pounds of cow's milk.
Analysis: Moisture, 40 to 45 percent; fat, 25 to 27 percent (fat in
the solids, 46.5 to 49 percent); protein, 24 to 26 percent; and ash,
3.5 to 4.5 percent.
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