Burrata (Burrata) - Italian cheese, which is a wonderful combination of mozzarella and cream. Its name comes from the word burro, which means "butter." Each ball is a bag of mozzarella filled with filling. And although the burrat cannot boast a rich history, but it has a lot of interesting facts in its reserve, which we will tell you about now.
Appearance story
The homeland of the burrata is the southern Italian plateau of Murgia. The history of cheese began in 1920 (according to some sources in 1900) in the city of Andria. The Bianchini family cooked it for the first time at their farm, and for 30 years only locals were pleased with the cheese.
The invention of the recipe was the result of a typical rural tradition of reusing the surplus of any production. The idea was to mix the leftovers from the pasta filata cheese and cream and wrap it in a bag of mozzarella.
The popularity of burrata in Italy increased in the 1950s after some cheese producers began to produce and market it. Although cheese was made from ritagli mozzarella, it was marketed as a premium product.
Today burrata is handmade by highly skilled craftsmen. In this connection, the tastes of cheeses produced in different factories may vary.
Burrata is widely spread on the east coast of the United States, where many Italian Americans live.
How do
Cheese is made from milk and cream of cows and buffaloes in the regions of Apulia (Puglia), Campania (Campania), Basilicata (Basilicata).
The first stage is no different from the production of other cheeses. It consists in warming the milk with the addition of rennet. Next, the coagulated clot is dipped in hot salted water or whey. Then the resulting mass is mixed and stretched elastic strings characteristic of the cheese "Filat Pasta". Then make the cheese of the necessary form.
Hot balls form bags that are filled with a filling (a mixture of cream with mozzarella pieces). According to tradition, the finished Burata is wrapped in the leaves of the Goldenrod, dressing the top, and moisturized with serum. The perianth is a wild-growing flower in southern Italy. It gives the cheese a special flavor.
Today in Italy three companies make burrata:
- Cooperativa Caseificio Pugliese;
- Azienda Cordisco;
- Azienda Agricola Querceta.
How to eat and store
Burrata is a soft, delicate cheese with a dairy fresh taste. White porcelain bag filled with creamy texture. The weight of one serving of cheese varies from 250 to 500 g.
They eat Burat as fresh as possible. It is preferable to use it within 24-48 hours. After two days from the moment of preparation, it is considered not young, but remains completely edible. Although a smell of sour milk is possible.
Before serving, you must first get the cheese from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Thus, he will reveal all his taste notes and acquire the necessary consistency.
Burrata is eaten on its own, sprinkled with salt and black pepper, sprinkled with olive oil, using a slice of bread or cracker to collect liquid filling.Like mozzarella, in Italy it is served with fresh tomatoes and basil or grilled vegetables.
Use cheese as a delicious topping for pizza. You need to add it to pizza at the very end of baking, so it becomes warm and soft, but not too watery.
Burrata goes well with a variety of products: arugula, avocado, legumes, beets, garlic, honey, lemon, melon, peaches, nuts.
Nutritional value and beneficial properties
The calorie content of cheese directly depends on the composition of the filling. Now there are a large number of variations on sale: with ricotta, with blackberry, with black truffle, etc.
Here is an example of the nutritional value of 100 g burrata with a classic filling (cream and mozzarella):
- Caloric value 321 kcal;
- Proteins 18 g;
- Fats 25 g;
- Carbohydrates 0 g;
- Cholesterol 20 mg;
- Sodium 85 mg;
- Vitamins A 36 mcg;
- Calcium 150 mg.
Burrata is a fairly high-calorie product, and therefore you need to consume it in proportion to the diet of your diet.
Like all dairy products, burrata is an excellent source of calcium, which is involved in the formation of bones, muscles and nerve impulses.
Having eaten 30 g of cheese, you will provide your body: 16% daily allowance for calcium, 5% - vitamin A, 4% - sodium.
Burrata at home
Cooking burrata at home is not a complicated process. All you need is milk, rennet, citric acid, cream for filling and some culinary skills.
The cooking process is as follows:
- Dissolve 7 g of citric acid in 200 ml of cold water and 2 teaspoons of rennet in 100 ml;
- Mix milk with an acid solution and slowly heat to 33-37 degrees;
- Remove the pan from the stove, add the enzyme, stir and wait 30 minutes until a clot forms;
- Cut the clot into small cubes (approximately 2 by 2 cm) and, slowly stirring, heat the contents of the pan to 35 degrees;
- Strain the contents through a sieve covered with several layers of gauze;
- Tear one half of the mass into small pieces and mix with cream;
- In a separate pan, heat the water to 80 degrees and dip the other half of the curd clot into it;
- As soon as the mass begins to stretch, take it out and stretch it several times;
- Roll the cheese to a thickness of approximately 1 cm (diameter of the resulting cake is 18-20 cm). Fill with the filling and tie.
Fresh homemade burrata at your service. Do not forget to eat it right away.
Price in Italy, USA and Russia
Burrata is inferior in prevalence to its older brother mozzarella, therefore the price level for this cheese is slightly higher.
- In Italy you can buy burrata with a classic filling in the range of 7-9 Euros for 500 g.
- In the eastern US states, where burrata is very popular, you can buy it for $ 10, although for a better product you will have to pay about $ 12 for 500 g.
- On the Internet you can find offers for the sale of burrata in Russia (again Russian-made and with a 10-day shelf life) at a price of 250-470 rubles per 250 g of cheese.
Our review of Italian delicacy is complete. Now you have another great reason to visit Italy, right? Live in style and remember: "Burrata is not far from mozzarella!"
