Andria, Bari, Puglia
The masterwork of Pugliese cheesemaking: a thin Mozzarella shell filled with a mixture of fresh mozzarella shreds (stracciatella) and fresh cream, tied at the neck to form a small purse. Created in Andria (Bari province) in the 1950s by Lorenzo Bianchino as a way to use Mozzarella scraps. When cut or torn, the cream-and-stracciatella filling floods the plate in a cascade of pure milk fat and fresh-cheese shreds. Must be eaten within 24-48 hours of production — it is not a keeping cheese.
Pure, milky, lactic, with a flooding cascade of fresh cream and mozzarella shreds — the richest, most immediate expression of fresh dairy in Italy
The outer Mozzarella shell must be fresh pasta filata, formed while still warm, thin enough to be delicate but thick enough to contain the filling without tearing. The stracciatella filling must be freshly pulled mozzarella shreds mixed with high-fat fresh cream — not whipped, not set, entirely liquid at room temperature. The cheese must be served at room temperature (never cold) — refrigerator temperature sets the cream and kills the flowing quality that defines the experience.
Break the burrata with your hands, not a knife — tearing releases the filling more expressively. The canonical pairing: tomato, basil, and olive oil; or roasted cherry tomatoes with fleur de sel. For an elevated service: burrata on a thick slice of Altamura bread with a thin slice of Mortadella and a thread of aged balsamic — the entire Emilia-Puglia contrast in one bite.
Serving cold from the refrigerator — the cream solidifies and the cheese loses its defining cascade quality. Waiting more than 48 hours to serve — burrata deteriorates rapidly and is a completely different product at 72 hours. Cutting too early in the meal — burrata should be broken and eaten immediately, not left exposed on the plate. Pairing with assertive flavours — burrata is too delicate for anything except tomato, quality olive oil, and perhaps San Daniele prosciutto.
I Formaggi della Puglia — Slow Food Editore