# What is bocconcini?



## lyndalou (Sep 15, 2005)

Can anyone tell me what bocconcini is? I have a recipe that lists this as an ingredient and haven' a clue. Also, since I doubt that I'll find it, can you suggest a substitute?

Thanks


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## kitchenelf (Sep 15, 2005)

Bocconccini are a medium sized ball of water-packed mozzarella. If you need to substitute it use fresh mozzarella, not the shredded kind and not the slices, but the kind wrapped in plastic in one big chunk.

The Bocconccini is roughly golf-ball size - I'll have to go look up the smaller ones - begins with a "c" though.

Edited to add Ciliegini are the cherry size balls.  [size=-1]
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## jennyema (Sep 15, 2005)

It's a little ball of fresh mozarella cheese.  About the size of a walnut (maybe a bit smaller).

Deli section packed in water.


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## purrfectlydevine (Sep 15, 2005)

The deli I work in usually has tennis ball sized and walnut sized fresh mozzarella in water.  Some is prepacked and some can be bought in whatever amount yuou want.


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## luvs (Sep 15, 2005)

they're different than the other mozzarella. they have a different texture, i think because of the moisture content, (they don't have much of a bite to them) and are bright white in color. the taste is milky and less salty.


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## urmaniac13 (Sep 15, 2005)

Bocconcini really means "bite size" or "morsels". As the others pointed out there ARE mozzarellas called bocconcini because they are made in smaller balls. (the fresh mozzarella come in several different sizes and shapes) So actually any bite sized food can be called "bocconcini", not just mozzarella!!


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## kitchenelf (Sep 15, 2005)

As you can see lyndalou we are all on the same page about what it is! lol  You might be surprised to find them - look in, obviously, the cheese section and most of the time they can be found in a round plastic container or a rectangular one.  The size your recipe calls for usually has 4 balls to a container.


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## lyndalou (Sep 16, 2005)

Thank you all. Another word to add to my vocabulary. They could have said "small balls of mozzarella", don't you think? lol


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## mrsmac (Sep 16, 2005)

A friend of mine makes little appetisers with half a baby bocconcini a basil leaf and a tom thumb tomato on a toothpick/skewer.


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## Michael in FtW (Sep 16, 2005)

lyndalou said:
			
		

> Thank you all. Another word to add to my vocabulary. They could have said "small balls of mozzarella", don't you think? lol


 
Ahh .... but would your guests/family be as impressed by being served small mozzarella balls as being served "bocconcini"?


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## lyndalou (Sep 17, 2005)

Michael, you are so right.  I like the way you think.


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## letscook (Sep 17, 2005)

i saw that recipe on the food channel in a fondu show, that looked yummy along with the shrimp one
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25975,00.html
Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello


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## mish (Sep 22, 2005)

I know I ariived late for the bocconcini party, but I couldn't resist.

*Bocconcini*







​*Bocconcini is one of the few cheeses that masterfully play a supporting role to other flavors. It's especially popular accompanied by fresh vegetables.*



This cheese is perfectly described by its Italian name: "small mouthfulls". It's mild and refreshing, with a smooth resilient texture, about the size, shape and colour of a hardboiled egg. It's delicious. Part of the semi-soft cheese category, Bocconcini should be a white and rindless unripened cheese with a firm elastic body, packed in light brine which stops further ripening.

Good alternatives to Bocconcini for your recipes include any of the stretched curd pasta filata cheeses such as Scamorza, Mozzarella, Fior di Latte, Cacciotta, or Trecce, a larger cheese woven into a braid and the most similar to Bocconcini


​


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## lyndalou (Sep 22, 2005)

Thanks Mish, nice picture. Wish I could do that, but I am not a computer  person, really. Can't do anything much with the thing.


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## mish (Sep 22, 2005)

You're welcome, lindalou.

Maybe this will help re copy & paste:


*To copy* - Left click on your mouse, draw across and highlight the stuff you want to copy, Right click and select copy. 

*To paste* - Right click again and select paste. You can save recipes to your notepad and save them to your hardrive, or paste text into messages like these.

Give it a try & let me know if I can help some more.

The thing I can't figure out is:

When a blue word (muffin, for example) appears in text & when you click on the word (rather than an http address), it takes you to the document. Anyone know how to do this? Thanks in advance.


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