Burrata is yet another delicacy that Italy has offered to the world. While the world sings the praise of its creaminess and freshness, and hails it as the queen of Italian cheese, we would like to call it a food of sustainability. Because it was born as a result of an attempt to reduce food waste.
In 1956, a cheesemaker, Lorenzo Bianchino, wanted to reuse the waste from processing mozzarella. And this is why burrata cheese is often confused with mozzarella.
Difference between burrata and mozzarella
These are both serve a similar purpose in your diet and are similar in colour, texture and taste. But somewhere between all this, there is still a difference between these two.
Production
The production process of both of these cheeses is different. Ideal Italian mozzarella is made from buffalo milk, and the taste is always better than the cow milk mozzarella. If you have tasted both versions, you will know that the buffalo milk mozzarella is tangier and creamier.
Pasta filata is the process of making mozzarella, where a whey starter is added to the milk that is under incubation. The whey starter contains thermophilic bacteria. For easier curd formation, rennet is added. Heating in water, these curds now form strings.
While burrata cheese was made from leftover mozzarella in the beginning, your modern burrata cheese doesn't have to wait for leftover mozzarella. The production of starts with a similar process, but unlike mozzarella, the stretched curd will be formed into a pouch, whose insides are mixture of cream and fresh curds. For an ideal, the pouch will be sealed off.
Taste
This cheese is has creamier and richer texture than mozzarella, and it has a gooey touch to it. As soon as you cut open your cheese pouch, you plate is filled with fresh curd. But rest of the taste more or less remains same in both the cheese types.
Origin of Burrata cheese
The origin of burrata cheese is not as straightforward as you would like to know. Although, the first production is associated with leftover mozzarella, and Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa who found a way to use these leftover pieces. This was in 1920s, and in the Puglia region of Italy.
By 1930s, however, found its way to the official place in an Italian recipe book. While in the beginning, only the regional industries were involved in the process of burrata production, it gradually started becoming famous in different other parts of the country.
Today, many parts of the world are crazy and obsessed about burrata cheese, and restaurants or hotels serving the same has become typical of high-end food stores and restaurants. According to BBC reports, Italy has exported over $50 million burrata cheese to all around the world including Asia, in the year 2018.
Tips to get the best out of your burrata cheese
1. Tastes better when fresh
This isn't always possible unless you make burrata cheese at home, but it tastes best when you eat it fresh after it's prepared. Even if you are buying from the store, make sure it is prepared on the same day, and that you are eating it on the same day. Burrata also has a very short shelf life.2. Pizza and burrata a perfect duo
2. Pizza and burrata a perfect duo
Pizza and burrata just belong together! Probably because they have the same country of origin. You can add burrata to your freshly prepared pizza, and may even add some fresh tomatoes.
3. Bread
With a freshly prepared favourite piece of bread, seasoned with butter, you can add burrata, and some honey and olive oil to make it a perfect breakfast.
4. Room temperature
If you have been storing your burrata cheese in fridge, make sure it is out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before eating.
Where To Buy Burrata In India?
Although the taste burrata is well appreciated in India, there are not many stores or restaurant that can present you with an authentic range and taste. And this is what we like to do differently.
At Highland Farms, our aim is to bring the taste of Italy right to your doorstep. And this hasn’t been a easy process. It is not just the preparation and production of cheese we take care of, but we also oversee the production of buffalo milk, and take care of natural grazing of the buffaloes.
By controlling all the process of this business, we might not be sure whether we can bring you the true Italian taste but we can assure you of the authenticity of the products.
At Highland Farms, we also deal with cow milk products like cow milk ghee, fresh cream, etc. You can buy our products directly from our website. Don’t forget to enjoy the available coupons.