Reader Ronal Ellison requested that we provide some background and history for Puglia’s burrata, an über-trendy, decadent, cream-filled take on traditional mozzarella, at once a simple pleasure and an unctuous extravagance. While, as Mario Batali has often said, Parmigiano Reggiano is the “undisputed king of cheeses,” burrata is the undisputed queen. There’s even a Facebook page for burrata cheese with more than 6,000 devoted members, although, alas for many of us, it’s written entirely in Italian.
There’s curiously little on the subject of burrata cheese in English, with most mentions not much more than a few words in a restaurant review—although these mentions aren’t without merit. Firenze Osteria, in Los Angeles, features a fawning tribute to the cheese in three traditional appetizers: burrata with balsamic-marinated grilled vegetables, with prosciutto and melon, and as a twist on the classic Caprese salad. The Ritz-Carlton in Florida’s Key Biscayne combines the creamy cheese with blanched haricots verts tossed in a fruity olive oil. New York’s Dona takes a less traditional, more luxe route, melding caviar, sea urchin roe, and a purée of fava beans. San Francisco’s SPQR serves tortelloni stuffed with burrata and garnished with baby peas and mint. And at Phoenix’s Tapino, there exists an upscale last course of burrata with mascarpone and truffle honey, garnished with shaved white truffle.
As with other mozzarellas, burrata cheese owes its existence to the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), a large draft animal brought to Italy from its native Asia sometime in the 15th century. The milk of the water buffalo is richer and higher in protein than that of cows—which means more curds and less whey—although it lacks carotene, the yellow pigment found in cow’s milk. As a result, mozzarella di bufala is pure white. Originally all “mozzarella” was made with the milk of water buffaloes—and the best still is. In Italy, cow’s-milk mozzarella is distinguished by the legal name fior di latte, while most American mozzarella is now made from less-stellar cow’s milk.
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