For an inexperienced eye, it looks like a usual mozzarella, but that is just appearance. If you twist the green raffia thread that closes it and sink a knife into it, after the first resistance, the blade will go down smoothly, because it meets a yielding heart of cream.
It is the Burrata di Andria, which achieved IGP recognition in just one year. The producers, almost a century after the birth of one of the most popular typical Apulian products, formed a consortium.
BURRATA DI ANDRIA: WHAT IT IS AND WHERE IT IS PRODUCED
It looks like a bag of spun white porcelain cut by hand. The shade of white in artisinal cheeses depends, as always, on the season and animal feed. Inside, it contains a creamy mixture of cream and “sfilacci” of spun dough, called stracciatella.
The weight of the Andria Burrata ranges from 100 g to 500 g, but there is even Burrata of a kilo. It is a real jewel that today has achieved global fame and arrives on gourmet tables in twelve hours.
The Apulian chef Pino Lavarra has helped create a myth around the Burrata, making it reach the 102nd floor of the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong where he works. The production and packaging area of Burrata PGI is not limited to the territory of Andria; it extends to the entire territory of the Puglia region.
THE HISTORY OF THE BURRATA DI ANDRIA
As always, it is not easy to trace the origin of this product with certainty. It seems that the paternity goes to Lorenzo Bianchino, the dairyman who worked in the Alta Murgia National Park at the beginning of the 20thcentury. A heavy snowfall had blocked him in the farm, along with the cow’s milk he was supposed to bring downstream. He prepared the pasta filata and then created a sort of flask, filling it with cream and its fraying. Finally, he locked it at the top with two strands of straw. Here comes the Burrata. The name Burrata, contrary to popular belief, alludes to the taste of the buttery, creamy, and tasty filling and not to the content.
HOW ANDRIA BURRATA IS PRODUCED
It starts with raw and cold cow’s milk made from one or two daily milkings. The milk, after having been acidified (pH 6.1-6.2)with the addition of whey, is heated until it reaches 35-36 ° C, then calf rennet is added. After about 20-25 minutes, it begins to, [RS4] and when the mass has obtained the right consistency, it is cured in granules similar in size to a grain of rice.
Once the break is complete, the curd, extracted from the excess whey, is poured on stainless steel tables and left to mature at room temperature for about five hours.
How Burrata is made
From this moment, the most challenging phase begins: the human hand takes over. The spinning process includes adding boiling water. The chopped curd is manually spun by the cheesemaker by continuously raising and pulling the melted pasta in boiling water, until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. With machines that filter and sterilize the air, the spun dough sheet is shaped to form a bag.
At this point, add the mozzarella scraps to the cream and, with this filling, fill the bag. At the end of the operation, the “mozzarella bag” is hermetically sealed and tied with a knot at the apex. Then proceed with salting.
HOW TO STORE ANDRIA’S BURRATA AND MATCH IT
It keeps for a couple of days at a temperature of 4 to 6 degrees, but be careful: before eating, it is brought back to room temperature. To understand if it is fresh, the palate should not have any hint of bitterness or acid but should retain an aftertaste of butter and hazelnut.
Excellent on its own or on a toasted bread crust, together with a slice of raw ham, or with tomatoes seasoned with a little extra virgin olive oil, as well as stuffed with pumpkin flowers.
Fantastic for stirring a risotto or spaghetti with tomato sauce.
Matching with real refined gourmet dishes: raw red Mazara prawn, Burrata, and caviar.
Ideal wine: dry white with little structure.
Credit: Fine Dining Lovers