If fresh buffallo mozarella and provolone cheese jostle for the gold medal of Italian pasta filata (spun paste), then burrata stands without question in platinum position. And worthy of an ode.
Burrata, burrata Where art thou, oh burrata On aisles and cold shelves In Italia and beyond You – burrata are found in the best company of cheeses money can buy Blessed are ye, oh cheesemakers of Puglia And blessed are the fruits of your vats Mozzarella di buffalo, Provolone and cheese above all cheeses – Burrata. Cheese like ‘Pregnant bellies’ Tummies full of ritagli (scraps) and panna (cream) Your name is like butter to my ears – soft and warm Your skin – smooth and stretchy like ‘white’ velvet You are fresh and sweet with the essence of youth Tangy and the creamy and best eaten within two days Burrata, dear burrata Soulful cheese to all Caseophile or notI first heard of burrata from Pierino, a stalwart on food52 whose culinary vocals are fraught with Italianess – Market Style Porchetta and Waiting for Bonaparte Muffaletta (the remix edition), two of his recipes showcasing the motherland.
Two years later I apprehended it and added it to my ‘leaving the Netherlands’ bucketlist, which included:
- Finding Burrata
- Eating minted peaches
- Discovering the anatomy of an artichoke
- Seeking your best recipe in a hotel
- Buying champagne vinegar
- Going to Volendam, to dress up in traditional ‘century’ old Dutch clothes
- Seeing Dolphins swim at the Dolfinarium
- And touching Escher in the Palace
Why all the fuss you might ask, just for cheese? Because burrata is the best of fresh mozzarella and more (cream) on a plate. Take fresh curds, stretch them out into a smooth blanket, which you pull up at the corners to form a small ‘gold’ sack, then fill the centre with cheese rags and top up with cream. Knot your cheese money bag and you have treasures on the table.
“Burrata”, from burro meaning “butter” in Italian, refers to the creamy soft texture of an artisan cheese which rose to popularity in Puglia, the south of Italy in the 1950s when factories found it a way to utilize the ritagli (“scraps” or “rags”) of mozzarella. It is produced from cow/buffalo milk, rennet and cream.
Nora Singley writes in The Kitchn: ‘Let’s get one thing clear: Burrata is not mozzarella. And burrata is not buffala mozzarella, although it’s made from buffalo milk. Burrata is its own thing entirely, and you’ll know this the second you taste it. Perhaps some of the confusion has come from its tradition, which tells of a cheesemaking process that was born from another: burrata was made in order to rescue the little scraps of mozzarella di bufala that were leftover in the cheesemaking vat. In understanding the makeup of burrata, however, it’s helpful to summarize a bit of what we know about mozzarella.
Mozzarella is what’s called a pulled curd or pasta filata cheese, which means that it’s formed from the elastic curd of fresh milk, still warm and straight from the vat. Burrata is made of that same stringy cheese, but is formed not into a solid ball, but into a little hollow pouch, which is then filled with fresh cream and soft stringy bits of curd, the ritagli, or rags, remaining after mozzarella making. It’s all tied off at the top, and then wrapped in the fronds of an Italian plant called asphodel (a relative of the leek).
The thin sheath of mozzarella (the closest thing that burrata has to a rind) should be incredibly supple and yielding — just thick enough to prevent the cream-filled middle from spilling out. If it’s chewy and rubbery, your burrata may be a bit older; as with all fresh cheeses, the fresher the better. But what you’re really going for in the end, has nothing to do with that exterior, really. It’s all about what lies within. Thick, spreadable strings of cream, with a slightly sour finish. Also of note is that buffalo milk is richer and higher in butterfat than cow milk. (Never a bad thing.)’
Super Tip (The kind of tip only an Italian can give…..on cheese!)
Speaking to my Italian friend and colleague, he educates me on the art of eating burrata and fresh buffalo mozzarella. First up, the cheeses are best eaten at room temperature, not directly from the fridge.
To accomplish this, he plunges the bags of cheese in lukewarm water for up to a quarter of an hour, before serving. And so did I!
The same colleague recommended fig jam and fine coppa, dried meat from the neck of a handsome pig as worthy accompaniments for the burrata. To garnish? The finest olive oil money can buy with some basil leaves. As my only claim to Italian citizenry was a visit to Rome three years ago, I sensibly followed his advice – with no regrets.
The combination of creamy cheese, salty meat and sweet, fruity fig jam, set atop slices of ciabatta was to die for. With a crisp Italian white wine. We sat, 5 adults and devoured the lot before our pizzas arrived and we transitioned from starter to main.
That night, my friend E said she would go back to the shop where I’d bought it to get some for another friend of hers. Just to be sure I could define the flavor profile, I asked her to help me purchase some more, along with a few slices of the coppa.
The story she told on her return was weird but wonderful. When she arrived the shop on a Friday afternoon and began to place her order which included my coppa, a guy behind the counter asked her ‘Is this for the black lady?’, to which she…..in shock as to how he knew, said ‘Yes’. He then pointed out the exact coppa (which I’d gotten first time around) she had to buy. She asked him how he knew it was for me and he shrugged his shoulders and said ‘I just knew’. Note that as of the 19th of August 2011, the Hague had 499,505 inhabitants (less the 5 members of my family) – the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Though strictly speaking, we didn’t live in the Hague. Still, that singular event was sufficient to stun E, and I and perhaps the gentleman in question and support the fact that the world indeed is a small place. Where homemade bagels are glad to spend their days sliced and buttered with burrata and fig jam.
The second batch of burrata was served up with flash-fried honey cherry tomatoes, but retained the foremen of basil, olive oil and coppa.It was as well received as the previous. With some delicious French bread to boot. Good food crosses boundaries.
My friends and country men, food lovers the world over……try burrata and if you find it not to your liking, strike it off your list of favourites. But….try it first.
And if you would rather make your own but don’t know how, this great tutorial from Sunday Suppers with its step-by-step guide will set you on the straight and narrow.
If you don’t fancy some chewy, salty meats to accompany your panna, then check out Greg of Sippity Sup’s persimmon and pomegranate salad which made him some great new neighbours (hint – they had a persimmon tree)!
Whatever you do…..try it!
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]An Ode to Burrata – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
[…] their deep, passionate love affair with this cheese– even writing an occasional ode to burrata — so I’ll spare you from one more. But just know that, albeit trendy and “so […]
[…] With burrata and fig jam; […]
Ehm, Burrata!
There are 2 burratas just like 2 different mozzarellas.
1 is made entirely with Cow’s Milk which is the original one invented in Andria (Puglia, Italy) many moons ago, the other has the outer skin of buffalo milk mozzarella but the cream inside is form Cow’s milk as one can not UHT buffalo’s.
Which one is best? Up to you…..
cheers
It keeps getting better Davide – even more cheese for me to discover. Thank you for the education
[…] Great cheeses and wines and other wordily (culinary) treasures? Look no further than GransJean of Burrata fame – a delicatessen paying tribute to the refined eats of France, Italy, Switzerland, […]
Oh my…if only I could eat this tonight! Burrata? Delicious. Thank you for sharing with me, sweet friend. I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the cool-down 🙂
Will do sweetie. Thanks
We are very blessed, because we can buy fresh burrata on a daily basis! It’s truly amazing cracked over a plate of hot pasta – turning the red tomato sauce into a rosa sauce..
Wow – you’re giving me reasons to consider emigrating!!! Burrata. Daily. Wow.
I love this post and yes, the world is indeed a small place! Burrata and fig jam on ciabatta sounds good! I don’t know if I could find the coppa here in my little backwater, but it’s worth a try… if not coppa, perhaps shaved prosciutto?
The saltiness of prosciutto would be superb so go right ahead and get yourself some
So glad you got to try gorgeous burrata, it is truly delicious. Do you think you will have a go at making it yourself?
Sara dear, please don’t tempt me. Though the answer is yes! As so on as I have a new kitchen I’ll be trying my hand at mozzarella making….then moving on to Burrata! Hopefully this year!
Yum! I could reach in and take one of those right now. Your photos are making me so hungry!
I am so glad you have “found” burrata! It really is something special in the world of mozzarella – rich and creamy and oh-so sinful.
Maureen – thank you
Mademoiselle d. Yes, burrata’s been discovered! Quite sinful it is…..from a happy sinner!
You write such a lovely ode to cheese Oz 🙂 I am embarrassed to admit I’ve never tried burrata even though I can actually find it quite easily. Next time I visit the deli, I’ll buy some and think of you.
The first time I tried this I thought I died and went to heaven. I serve it usually with marianted heirloom tomatoes. Great post and as usual your pictures are outstanding.
Shaz, give it a try and then decide for yourself!
Norma – I love the sound of the marinated tomatoes. Thanks for your kind words
Great, now another thing to add to my list of must tries. To me there is nothing better, and I mean nothing better than a good cheese, salty meat, a sweet bit and some wine…oh yeah, some bread or crackers also. Your ode was charming! Now to find this burrata…
As someone who has had the divine pleasure of eating some really good burrata I commend you on your ode to the cheese, it made me smile ear to ear. You are right, few things can compare, and with some salty coppa and a beautiful EVOO….what could be better!
Rhonda, burrata should be easily found in your part of the world. There’s nothing one can’t find in America, this Nigerian girl thinks. LOL
Oui, Chef, thanks
I’m smiling so big because you wrote an ode to cheese. I adore you, oz. 🙂
Krista dearie – same,same, same. Thanks and big hugs
Funny, we both did a post on cheese, and even funnier, I’ve already done my post on my ode to Burrata – definitely a favorite and worth all the attention. I loved the details you went into. Burrata is definitely at the top of my list. Although my only complaint is once you start you never want to stop. http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/06/burrata-italian-creamy-magic/
Oyster culture – you are so right. Once you start, you keep going on and on!
Ha! Love that ode… Burrata is the food of the Gods – I am totally smitten with it (and your blog 🙂
Robyn x
Thanks Robyn. The ode wasn’t quite ‘finished’ but I had run out of creative steam. Different from my burrata gobbling experience!
This looks, and sounds amazing and I know for one I would certainly try it! Your writing always takes me away and I feel like I am right there with you.
I enjoyed this bit of vicarious burrata. It was delicious.
Thanks Lyndsey – you have paid me the highest compliment a writer could ever wish for – carrying their audience along! Thank you.
Sarah – Thanks