Bancone Short Features | Burrata
A monthly handpicked topic encapsulating wisdom into a riveting 2 minute read to fuel the foodie soul. This month, it's all about Burrata. Read on for your monthly dose.
Currently on the menu: Burrata, salt baked beetroot, preserved lemon.
Still enchanted by our recent Bancone trip to Puglia and the new knowledge we imbibed at the award-winning Puglian cheesemaker Caseificio Artigiana, this next short feature showcases one of our best-selling items from them, with over 35,000 ordered at Bancone last year, Burrata.
Burrata in Italian derives from the word “buttered,” alluding to its rich, indulgent and buttery nature. If it wasn’t for the distinguishable ‘top-knot’ dumpling-esque appearance and softer, suppler disposition, burrata could easily be mistaken for fresh mozzarella. Both are made from cow’s milk and formed as a white plump sphere but once you tear open the outer mozzarella shell of burrata, out oozes a filling of stracciatella, fresh stretched strands of mozzarella, immersed in a luxurious cream. Delicious enough to hold its own eaten solo or served alongside ingredients that enhance and balance out it’s flavours without overpowering.
Burrata is a fairly new creation in the history of Italian cuisine first noted in the 1920’s in Puglia, Southern Italy born out of a thrifty need to minimise food waste from leftover ritagli -"scraps" or "rags" - of mozzarella. The scraps are stretched to form a pasta filata known as stracciatella which is then traditionally combined with the cream that comes from the dense layer formed on top of the morning milk (the richest milk of the day) and filled inside an open elastic casing of mozzarella before tying shut to form burrata. A divine result of human ingenuity!
Although more rich and creamy than mozzarella, it still has a fairly delicate and nuanced flavour in comparison to other Italian cheeses and as cold temperatures have a way of dulling flavours, we recommend to remove burrata from refrigeration and allow to reach room temperature before serving to allow a fuller flavour profile to reach your palate.
If you’re one of the few out there that have not yet had the pleasure to taste burrata, you will find it available as a regular feature on our menu changing every few months to reflect the freshest seasonal ingredients. The current creation showcases burrata alongside an earthy salt baked beetroot and preserved lemon.
We hope you get a chance to try it and share your new found burrata knowledge with friends while you’re at it!
Stay tuned for the next Bancone Short Feature coming soon…
