Burrata Cheese. Sabino Parente / Getty Images via Canva Pro.
Burrata cheese is a fresh, unaged cheese made in Apulia, Basilicata and Campania in the south of Italy.
It is a ball of cheese, ricotta-like in texture, made of milk and cream from cows and unspun mozzarella curds. It is wrapped in a skin made from thinly stretched mozzarella, then wrapped in leaves from asphodel plants.
Some burratas also have porcini mushrooms or black truffles in the mixture.
The cream oozes out when you cut into it.
Burrata has a very short shelf life. It is meant to be eaten within a few days of being made. When the leaves start to turn brown, the cheese has to be used up right away.
It is flown into the United States from Italy the day after it is made.
Cooking Tips
Slice burrata cheese thickly.
Storage Hints
Store burrata cheese for only a day or two.
History Notes
Burrata was first made in Andria, Basilicata at the start of the 1900s.
It was first made with buffalo milk, then using milk from Podolian cows. Now, the milk can be from any type of cow in the area.
Language Notes
The name ‘burrata’ comes from the Italian name for butter, “burro”, referring to the soft consistency of the centre.