The Mozzarella Stick Story

If you think about it, mozzarella sticks are a fairly bizarre menu item. Take your richest, stringiest, most delicious mozzarella cheese, toss it in bread crumbs, and throw it in hot oil. Fry till golden. How did that idea ever cross any sane restaunter’s mind? 

It began in Wisconsin

The man behind the stringy mozzarella stick–before it’s fried–was a Wisconsinite. Frank Baker was the proud dairymaker who finally combined the standard Wisconsin aspiration to perpetually snack on cheese with a little business sense. At the time (the 1960’s and 1970’s) mozzarella cheese was experiencing a rise in popularity and getting mainlined into the restaurant and grocery store supply chains. It was simple: once Baker Cheese began selling their strings of mozzarella, they took off.

Holstein dairy cows on a Wisconsin family farm. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Make it gold

As for the frying part, we’ve got recipes for fried cheese that date back as far as the 14th-century to medieval Paris! Our modern menu item, however, is strictly American. It arose right around the time when frying technology was getting good–the 1970’s and 1980’s. So when you sit down at the table at an Italian restaurant, don’t go thinking mozzarella sticks came from the motherland. But while it may not be a traditional Italian delicacy, it has counterparts in fancy European places like Austria, Czechia, and the UK. We’re telling you, this stuff is as good as gold.

The ultimate sharing food.

Appetizers, anyone? 

It’s been a long time since humans first tasted this extremely satisfying combination. And since then, we’ve reached a point where any self-respecting pizza joint has mozzarella sticks on the menu, served best with marinara sauce–but also acceptably served with ranch, barbecue sauce, honey mustard, or occasionally ketchup. We heard a rumor that in New York, a regional dish is mozzarella sticks with raspberry sauce. Nah, here in Chicago we’ll have none of that. Bring out the marinara, take a dip, and dig in!

Mozzarella sticks with their favorite sauce. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Variations on a theme

In theory, the cheese you use in a fried cheese stick can really be anything, as long as it’s a hard enough cheese to hold its shape when it hits the heat of the oil. We may love mozzarella for the added pleasure of its stringy consumption process, but cheddar, provolone, and even American cheese have found their way on the menu as well. All of this to say, fried cheese in all its forms ain’t going anywhere. If you haven’t tried it, you’re probably an alien from outer space. But be careful with that first bite! We all know through experience that freshly-made mozzarella sticks have an internal temperature hotter than the sun.