Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Burrata is usually made from buffalo milk but it is also made from cow milk or a combination of both milks. The success of Burrata cheese is huge
right now, not only in Italy but here in Montreal it is very much in demand.
Burrata was first made in the
early 1900s on the Bianchini farm in the town of Andria in the region of Puglia in southern Italy. The ingenuity
of these cheesemakers began producing Burrata as a natural consequence of the
typical peasant culture and accustomed to little waste and the reuse of any
surplus. They decided to mix the residues from the processing of the cheese
dough with the cream and wrap it all in a casing which is also made of spun
paste.
Burrata is formed into a pouch
made from spun curd which contains a soft heart of cream called 'panna' and is
filled with ritagli ( the 'scraps' or 'rags') of mozzarella, wrapped with
leaves of asphodel, a local herb which grows in the wild in the area of Andria
and gives an aromatic and tangy note to the cheese.
The Burrata I selected is
produced by Cilento S.P.A. a cheese factory located in Cellole in the
region of Campania in southern Italy. The Cilento family have been operating
for more than a generation in the dairy sector, dedicated exclusively to the
production of the Mozzarella di Bufala
Campana DOP (Protected Designation of Origin).
Enjoy the sweet milky buttery
taste of Burrata in simple dishes and also in very elaborate meals. Burrata can
be enjoyed simply accompanied by a green salad or served with ripe juicy red
tomatoes, olive oil and ground black pepper. A delightful rich cheese that pairs nicely
with a Castel del Monte, a dry, medium-bodied chardonnay from the Puglia region
of Italy.
Here is a great video put out by
the Culinary Institute of America on the making of Burrata: Puglia's Molten
Mozzarella.
