Origin
Burrata is a dairy trick of genius: a pouch of pasta filata stretched thin and filled with torn curd and fresh cream, so that what looks like a mozzarella gives way to something molten. It was born in Puglia, out of the same thrift that produces so much of the best Italian food, as a way of using up the trimmings left over from making stracciatella.
This one comes from Campania, buffalo country, where Casearia Cioffi work with milk from the herds of the Piana del Sele behind Salerno. Swapping cow’s milk for buffalo changes the whole character of the thing. Buffalo milk carries far more fat and protein, and the result is a burrata with more weight, more sweetness and a longer finish than the Pugliese original. Each one is hand-formed and sealed, then packed in a little glass-style cup with its own whey, which keeps the outer shell supple and the filling loose.
Tasting notes
Bright porcelain white, with a smooth, faintly elastic skin that yields the moment a knife goes in. Inside, the stracciatella spills out thick and glossy. The flavour is milky and clean with a distinct lactic tang, sweeter and considerably richer than cow’s milk burrata, with a buttery weight that coats the palate. There is a grassy note underneath from the buffalo milk itself. The whole thing should taste fresh, never sour.
Serving suggestions
Do as little as possible. Take it out of the fridge at least thirty minutes before serving, let it come up to room temperature, then lift it from its cup, set it whole on a plate and open it at the table. Good extra virgin olive oil, flaky salt, cracked black pepper.
From there: tomatoes at the height of summer, torn basil, grilled peaches and prosciutto, roasted peppers, or simply toasted sourdough. It also makes an excellent finish to a pizza or a plate of pasta, torn over the top off the heat so it slumps rather than melts. Avoid cooking it — heat destroys exactly the contrast you paid for.
A glass of Falanghina or Greco di Tufo, or a dry Franciacorta, cuts through the richness nicely.
Keep refrigerated at 0-4°C.
Consume within 24 hours of opening and ideally on the day of delivery.
Do not freeze.
Use by: see pack.
Product of Italy.
