Ingredient Spotlight: What is Burrata Cheese?

I have a new ingredient spotlight for you! This month I am talking about burrata cheese. What is burrata? What does burrata taste like? What sort of recipes can you make with burrata? If you’ve seen it in the cheese case or your local market or on a menu and passed it by, I hope this little write up will encourage you to give it a try! And, if you already enjoy burrata, I have a few ideas on different ways to use it.

I’ve decided to expand on the idea of ingredient spotlights to highlight manufactured products in addition to produce. Just as there a many specialty fruits and vegetables that may have you saying ‘how do I cook that?’ or ‘what does it taste like?’, there are many newer (or new to your local market) products out there which you may be hesitant to buy. I know I don’t like buying food which I don’t have a plan for – that leads to food going bad in my fridge or getting shoved to the back of the pantry. So, let’s familiarize ourselves with burrata and maybe make a few plans for recipes you want to try!

What is burrata?

Burrata is a very fresh and soft Italian cheese which is made from a thin skin of mozzarella filled with mozzarella curds and fresh cream. Basically, what burrata looks like is a little sack of soft cheese which is either sealed off or tied off, depending on how it is manufactured. The skin on the burrata can range from very thin and delicate (be very careful with those so they break when you want them to and not before!) to fairly thick and sturdy. Craft made and small producers tend to have burratas with the freshest, creamiest flavor.

One more note – breaking the burrata is a lot of fun. Especially when you have thin skinned burrata which is waiting to ooze yummy, creamy cheese everywhere. Breaking the burrata at the table with everyone around is highly recommended.

Where does burrata come from?

Burrata is a fairly new form of cheese! Italians have been making mozzarella for hundreds of years, but it was only in the last century that someone decided to combine scraps of mozzarella (called stracciatella) with cream and wrap it in a skin of cheese. According to my research it was either invented around the 1920s or the 1950s, and is often attributed to Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa. Either way, everyone seems to agree that originated in Angria, which is in the Puglia region in the south of the Italy.

What does burrata taste like?

Burrata tastes like sunshine and happiness and awesomeness.

Or, if I’m being less hyperbolic, it has a buttery, creamy, rich, fresh flavor. Since it is so fresh, and is best when it hasn’t aged even a day, it is very mild and can take on the flavors of whatever you are serving along with it. It is equally wonderful in desserts as it is in more savory salads and main dishes.

What’s the nutritional info on burrata?

Burrata is a rich, creamy cheese. Yes, it has calcium, but don’t be expecting it to be amazingly lowfat and healthy and full of vitamins. 🙂 For anyone following a low carb or no carb diet, like most cheeses burrata is carb-free. My package of burrata says it has 60 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 5 grams of protein per ounce.

For more information you may want to visit these sources: Burrata di Andria Cheese, What’s Fabulous: Burrata, On a Burrata Mission in Andria, Italian Food Academy: Burrata

How do you cook burrata?

The part you’ve been waiting for! Here are some excellent recipes using burrata in all sorts of ways and a recipe for making burrata. I’ve never made burrata, but it looks like fun and it’s definitely something I want to try.

1. How to make burrata – how to make it yourself. I have to try this!
2. Burrata With Romano Beans and Roasted Eggplant – a different sort of summery salad with burrata
3. Crispy Pancetta, Burrata, and Tomato Sandwiches  – a twist on the BLT
4. Burrata with White Wine and Garlic Sauteed Tomatoes – a great warm recipe for burrata
5. Burrata with Garden & Wild Berries, Honey, Balsamic and Fresh Ground Pepper – a sweet/tart take on burrata
6. Burrata with Cherries and Balsamic Roasted Peaches – dessert burrata, yum!

And my recipes using burrata:

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