Mozzarella (English: /ˌmɒtsəˈrɛlə/, Italian: [mottsaˈrɛlla]; Neapolitan: muzzarella [muttsaˈrɛllə]) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Mozzarella, derived from the Southern Italian dialects spoken in Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Lazio, and Marche, is the diminutive form of mozza ("cut"), or mozzare ("to cut off") derived from the method of working.