How burrata cheese is made in Puglia, Italy
Following is a transcript of the video.
Claudia Romeo: We're in Monopoli, Italy, a beautiful coastal town in the region of Puglia, which is the region where burrata cheese is from. Burrata is one of those foods that has a very short shelf life. It has to be eaten fresh, the same day. So, trying a burrata here in Puglia is truly a culinary experience. And, trust me, I'm from around here, but I live abroad, and I've tried countless times to bring them with me in my suitcases, and they've never been as good as the ones that I've tried here. So, today we're going to do exactly that. We're going to visit a local dairy and get our own burrata experience! Let's go.
In Italy, we met with Vincenzo Di Trani, son, grandson, and great-grandson of cheesemakers and owner of Mozzabella. His dairy produces about 500 kilos of fresh cheese every day. Vincenzo and his team start the day way before the sun is up. At 4 a.m., the milk has been acidified and it is ready to be split into curds. It now rests in this vat at 35 degrees with a whey starter and rennet.
Vincenzo Di Trani: We only use an ancient method, which is the whey starter, rather than using chemical additives such as citric acid, lactic acid, and so on. We use whey from the day before to acidify the milk the following day.
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: You need to acidify milk to make burrata. Otherwise, it doesn't stretch. Claudia: And what tool are you using? Vincenzo: This is a specific tool, made of steel, to cut the curd. It's called basket. Then everybody has their own name depending on the region.
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: Around here it's called basket.
Claudia: So here it's called that. It's best to cut the curd this way rather than using, I don't know —
Vincenzo: The guitar? It depends on the cheese. With some cheeses you need to use the guitar, with some others the basket. There are different cutting types.
Claudia: Ah, so you first use the smallest part. Vincenzo: Yes, this is the first cut. This is to strengthen the milk protein so that it doesn't release milk in the second cut. Rather, it's already pretty strong.
Claudia: So you will use this tomorrow to make —
Vincenzo: Yes, a part of this whey will be used tomorrow. We give it a second cut like that. We keep strengthening the protein pattern. Very slowly.
Claudia: It has to really break down in small, little pieces?
Vincenzo: The grain size varies depending on the cheeses.
Claudia: OK, OK.
Vincenzo: If we're making some aged cheeses, it has to be the size of a rice grain. If we're making soft cheeses, then we make it the size of a nut or a bean.
Claudia: OK.
Vincenzo: It depends on the cheeses.
Claudia: But what size for the burrata?
Vincenzo: For the burrata, we go for the size of a bean.
Claudia: So we're almost there.
Vincenzo: Almost, yes, yes. Cutting the curd is 50% important on the success of the cheese. So it's a great deal.
Claudia: Exactly. Yes. But these are not the little pieces that we later find in the burrata, right?
Vincenzo: No, no. This is the casing of the burrata. It is the inside, but when mixed with cream...
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: Which we do at a later time. Let's say that to make burrata, it's not just about the cut.
Claudia: Our cheese curds have reached their desired bean size. They will now have to rest in the whey for one and a half hours. Vincenzo uses this time to take out part of the liquid whey, adding milk to it, and transform it into ricotta. How long is left now?
Vincenzo: Let's see. Let's do a test and see how long is left.
Claudia: Because it's been about half an hour.
Vincenzo: Let's do a stretch test.
Claudia: Is this warm water?
Vincenzo: Warm water at 90 degrees. We need another three-quarters of an hour.
Claudia: What makes you say that?
Vincenzo: Look, from how it stretches. Because it still breaks.
Claudia: Whereas it shouldn't break.
Vincenzo: This has to stretch without breaking.
Claudia: While the curd is still resting in its whey to reach the perfect stretchability, a part of it is taken out to make the inside of the burrata. These are called sfilaccetti and are little shreds of frayed, stretched curd, which will be salted and mixed with cream to make stracciatella. Vincenzo uses 90-degree water to stretch the curd. So, if the processing is the same because this is the same curd, why is it that the outside and the inside of the burrata are different?
Vincenzo: The processing is the same because the processing of stracciatella is the processing of mozzarella. Apart from the addition of cream. For convenience, you make long sfilaccetti that are easier to fray.
Claudia: So that inside of the burrata, the sfilaccetti…
Vincenzo: Is mozzarella.
Claudia: Oh, look! It's already stretching. What is the name of this wooden tool?
Vincenzo: We call it splint. We call it splint around here.
Claudia: And it is custom made for the stretching?
Vincenzo: It is beechwood, yes.
Claudia: How long does it take to stretch it?
Vincenzo: It depends. This is unripe — it's to make sfilaccetti. So a bit longer. When we'll make the casing of the burrata, it'll be different.
Claudia: Because the longer it stays in the whey…
Vincenzo: The more it softens.
Claudia: It's easier to handle. Here there's warm water.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: But you're putting it in ice now?
Vincenzo: In cold water.
Claudia: Cold water.
Vincenzo: To cool it down, yes.
Claudia: Otherwise it keeps stretching.
Vincenzo: Otherwise you can't fray it, if it's not nice and cold.
Claudia: Ah, so it has to be cold.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: But then when it will go in the burrata...
Vincenzo: The burrata will be warm.
Claudia: Ah, OK. So there's a contrast of hot and cold. With water —
Vincenzo: We play with temperatures a lot here.
Claudia: Yes. It's so warm here, in fact. If I could, I'd throw myself in this cold water. Each piece of curd is then frayed one by one. And here we have our sfilaccetti. You could never do this thing with a machine?
Vincenzo: You can do it with a machine. They invented the machine.
Claudia: Really?
Vincenzo: But you don't get the same effect because it gets crumbled...
Claudia: Well, yes, of course.
Vincenzo: Whereas the real burrata has to be frayed. Unfortunately, time is an ingredient in this job.
Claudia: Yes.
Vincenzo: Waiting for the curd is also an ingredient. Because waiting does nothing but strengthen the curd. It's like bread with sourdough...
Claudia: Yes, exactly.
Vincenzo: And bread with brewer's yeast. One is ready is a heartbeat, one needs maybe two days of leavening.
Claudia: It's true, it's true.
Vincenzo: It's the same. The same method.
Claudia: So you apply this concept to fresh cheeses: mozzarella, burrata, etc. So this is the inside of all of today's burratas? Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: So, in any case —
Vincenzo: Either this way or smoked.
Claudia: Really, like this? Smoked stracciatella?
Vincenzo: Smoked stracciatella.
Claudia: Does smoked stracciatella exist? I never had it smoked.
Vincenzo: Yes, it's good smoked.
Claudia: Now that we have our inside, it's finally time to take care of the casing of the burrata. It seems softer, actually.
Vincenzo: Way softer.
Claudia: And you lifting the splint — how do you feel it? Is it heavier?
Vincenzo: Of course, you can really feel the difference.
Claudia: Yes?
Vincenzo: But you already see it from its glossiness.
Claudia: Ah, yes, it's true. Is it not because now it's a bit later and it's daytime? So you can see it better.
Vincenzo: No, no, it's the glossiness. We make it this way because the burrata needs a stronger rind. Mozzarella needs a little bit lower pH.
Claudia: Even more?
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: So for mozzarella —
Vincenzo: It has to rest a bit more.
Claudia: You have to wait even longer. When the casing is ready, all it takes is a swift movement to add in the stracciatella prepared previously. This is the first burrata of the day at Vincenzo's dairy.
Vincenzo: Now, from the burrata leftover, I show you where our trademark comes from. Claudia: What are you making now? A mozzarella?
Vincenzo: I'll show you.
Claudia: Let's see. A spiral.
Vincenzo: It's a rose.
Claudia: Oh, beautiful!
Vincenzo: It's a gift.
Claudia: Can I have a bouquet, maybe? This bouquet of roses, I would like to receive one. More than flowers. Have you ever thought about making a rose-shaped burrata?
Vincenzo: We can do it, of course.
Claudia: Yes?
Vincenzo: We can do it anywhere.
Claudia: Why a rose?
Vincenzo: Because I used to make this scamorza shape very well, so my trademark was born. It's unique. Nobody does it.
Claudia: So this was your idea.
Vincenzo: At least until now.
Claudia: These are 200 grams?
Vincenzo: More like 300.
Claudia: More like 300! Well, we're not shy. How many years have you been doing it?
Vincenzo: Ever since I was young. I've been doing this job for almost 35 years. This is something that has been passed down over generations. The first cheese master in my family was born in 1860, something like that.
Claudia: This is a fresh burrata?
Vincenzo: This is freshly made. We just made it.
Claudia: Whoa, look at that cream. Incredible. There's a lot of stracciatella inside.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: I am used to burrata I find abroad —
Vincenzo: It's all cream.
Claudia: All cream. Terrible!
Vincenzo: So, this is the difference with the machine I was telling you about.
Claudia: Yes.
Vincenzo: When it is minced with the machine, stracciatella becomes a cream.
Claudia: Yes, yes.
Vincenzo: Whereas when it is made by hand, this is the real stracciatella.
Claudia: Wow. Fantastic. We can't taste this, right?
Vincenzo: Of course. Try it.
Claudia: This is my breakfast. You know, when I went to Spain, they gave me ham for breakfast.
Vincenzo: With jamón.
Claudia: Ham and oil. Fittingly, here in Puglia, coffee and burrata.
Vincenzo: Burrata.
Claudia: Incredible.
Vincenzo: It's like a cappuccino.
Claudia: Yes. Milk is there. Well, cheers!
Vincenzo: Buon appetito.
Claudia: He just left. It's so good. It's so creamy. It's incredible. You don't feel that there is, like, the small little pieces and the outside part, which is harder. It melts in your mouth.
Vincenzo: It doesn't have a flat taste as it would be if made with citric acid, but it has a more sour taste. Sapidity-wise, it's superior. We use milk from grazed pastures, not milk where cows are locked in barns. We have less yield, less protein, more fat, a superior coloring value. But sapidity is unattainable.
Claudia: [sighs] I don't know why I moved abroad. I should just live here and have burrata for breakfast every morning.
Following is a transcript of the video.
Claudia Romeo: We're in Monopoli, Italy, a beautiful coastal town in the region of Puglia, which is the region where burrata cheese is from. Burrata is one of those foods that has a very short shelf life. It has to be eaten fresh, the same day. So, trying a burrata here in Puglia is truly a culinary experience. And, trust me, I'm from around here, but I live abroad, and I've tried countless times to bring them with me in my suitcases, and they've never been as good as the ones that I've tried here. So, today we're going to do exactly that. We're going to visit a local dairy and get our own burrata experience! Let's go.
In Italy, we met with Vincenzo Di Trani, son, grandson, and great-grandson of cheesemakers and owner of Mozzabella. His dairy produces about 500 kilos of fresh cheese every day. Vincenzo and his team start the day way before the sun is up. At 4 a.m., the milk has been acidified and it is ready to be split into curds. It now rests in this vat at 35 degrees with a whey starter and rennet.
Vincenzo Di Trani: We only use an ancient method, which is the whey starter, rather than using chemical additives such as citric acid, lactic acid, and so on. We use whey from the day before to acidify the milk the following day.
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: You need to acidify milk to make burrata. Otherwise, it doesn't stretch. Claudia: And what tool are you using? Vincenzo: This is a specific tool, made of steel, to cut the curd. It's called basket. Then everybody has their own name depending on the region.
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: Around here it's called basket.
Claudia: So here it's called that. It's best to cut the curd this way rather than using, I don't know —
Vincenzo: The guitar? It depends on the cheese. With some cheeses you need to use the guitar, with some others the basket. There are different cutting types.
Claudia: Ah, so you first use the smallest part. Vincenzo: Yes, this is the first cut. This is to strengthen the milk protein so that it doesn't release milk in the second cut. Rather, it's already pretty strong.
Claudia: So you will use this tomorrow to make —
Vincenzo: Yes, a part of this whey will be used tomorrow. We give it a second cut like that. We keep strengthening the protein pattern. Very slowly.
Claudia: It has to really break down in small, little pieces?
Vincenzo: The grain size varies depending on the cheeses.
Claudia: OK, OK.
Vincenzo: If we're making some aged cheeses, it has to be the size of a rice grain. If we're making soft cheeses, then we make it the size of a nut or a bean.
Claudia: OK.
Vincenzo: It depends on the cheeses.
Claudia: But what size for the burrata?
Vincenzo: For the burrata, we go for the size of a bean.
Claudia: So we're almost there.
Vincenzo: Almost, yes, yes. Cutting the curd is 50% important on the success of the cheese. So it's a great deal.
Claudia: Exactly. Yes. But these are not the little pieces that we later find in the burrata, right?
Vincenzo: No, no. This is the casing of the burrata. It is the inside, but when mixed with cream...
Claudia: Ah, OK.
Vincenzo: Which we do at a later time. Let's say that to make burrata, it's not just about the cut.
Claudia: Our cheese curds have reached their desired bean size. They will now have to rest in the whey for one and a half hours. Vincenzo uses this time to take out part of the liquid whey, adding milk to it, and transform it into ricotta. How long is left now?
Vincenzo: Let's see. Let's do a test and see how long is left.
Claudia: Because it's been about half an hour.
Vincenzo: Let's do a stretch test.
Claudia: Is this warm water?
Vincenzo: Warm water at 90 degrees. We need another three-quarters of an hour.
Claudia: What makes you say that?
Vincenzo: Look, from how it stretches. Because it still breaks.
Claudia: Whereas it shouldn't break.
Vincenzo: This has to stretch without breaking.
Claudia: While the curd is still resting in its whey to reach the perfect stretchability, a part of it is taken out to make the inside of the burrata. These are called sfilaccetti and are little shreds of frayed, stretched curd, which will be salted and mixed with cream to make stracciatella. Vincenzo uses 90-degree water to stretch the curd. So, if the processing is the same because this is the same curd, why is it that the outside and the inside of the burrata are different?
Vincenzo: The processing is the same because the processing of stracciatella is the processing of mozzarella. Apart from the addition of cream. For convenience, you make long sfilaccetti that are easier to fray.
Claudia: So that inside of the burrata, the sfilaccetti…
Vincenzo: Is mozzarella.
Claudia: Oh, look! It's already stretching. What is the name of this wooden tool?
Vincenzo: We call it splint. We call it splint around here.
Claudia: And it is custom made for the stretching?
Vincenzo: It is beechwood, yes.
Claudia: How long does it take to stretch it?
Vincenzo: It depends. This is unripe — it's to make sfilaccetti. So a bit longer. When we'll make the casing of the burrata, it'll be different.
Claudia: Because the longer it stays in the whey…
Vincenzo: The more it softens.
Claudia: It's easier to handle. Here there's warm water.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: But you're putting it in ice now?
Vincenzo: In cold water.
Claudia: Cold water.
Vincenzo: To cool it down, yes.
Claudia: Otherwise it keeps stretching.
Vincenzo: Otherwise you can't fray it, if it's not nice and cold.
Claudia: Ah, so it has to be cold.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: But then when it will go in the burrata...
Vincenzo: The burrata will be warm.
Claudia: Ah, OK. So there's a contrast of hot and cold. With water —
Vincenzo: We play with temperatures a lot here.
Claudia: Yes. It's so warm here, in fact. If I could, I'd throw myself in this cold water. Each piece of curd is then frayed one by one. And here we have our sfilaccetti. You could never do this thing with a machine?
Vincenzo: You can do it with a machine. They invented the machine.
Claudia: Really?
Vincenzo: But you don't get the same effect because it gets crumbled...
Claudia: Well, yes, of course.
Vincenzo: Whereas the real burrata has to be frayed. Unfortunately, time is an ingredient in this job.
Claudia: Yes.
Vincenzo: Waiting for the curd is also an ingredient. Because waiting does nothing but strengthen the curd. It's like bread with sourdough...
Claudia: Yes, exactly.
Vincenzo: And bread with brewer's yeast. One is ready is a heartbeat, one needs maybe two days of leavening.
Claudia: It's true, it's true.
Vincenzo: It's the same. The same method.
Claudia: So you apply this concept to fresh cheeses: mozzarella, burrata, etc. So this is the inside of all of today's burratas? Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: So, in any case —
Vincenzo: Either this way or smoked.
Claudia: Really, like this? Smoked stracciatella?
Vincenzo: Smoked stracciatella.
Claudia: Does smoked stracciatella exist? I never had it smoked.
Vincenzo: Yes, it's good smoked.
Claudia: Now that we have our inside, it's finally time to take care of the casing of the burrata. It seems softer, actually.
Vincenzo: Way softer.
Claudia: And you lifting the splint — how do you feel it? Is it heavier?
Vincenzo: Of course, you can really feel the difference.
Claudia: Yes?
Vincenzo: But you already see it from its glossiness.
Claudia: Ah, yes, it's true. Is it not because now it's a bit later and it's daytime? So you can see it better.
Vincenzo: No, no, it's the glossiness. We make it this way because the burrata needs a stronger rind. Mozzarella needs a little bit lower pH.
Claudia: Even more?
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: So for mozzarella —
Vincenzo: It has to rest a bit more.
Claudia: You have to wait even longer. When the casing is ready, all it takes is a swift movement to add in the stracciatella prepared previously. This is the first burrata of the day at Vincenzo's dairy.
Vincenzo: Now, from the burrata leftover, I show you where our trademark comes from. Claudia: What are you making now? A mozzarella?
Vincenzo: I'll show you.
Claudia: Let's see. A spiral.
Vincenzo: It's a rose.
Claudia: Oh, beautiful!
Vincenzo: It's a gift.
Claudia: Can I have a bouquet, maybe? This bouquet of roses, I would like to receive one. More than flowers. Have you ever thought about making a rose-shaped burrata?
Vincenzo: We can do it, of course.
Claudia: Yes?
Vincenzo: We can do it anywhere.
Claudia: Why a rose?
Vincenzo: Because I used to make this scamorza shape very well, so my trademark was born. It's unique. Nobody does it.
Claudia: So this was your idea.
Vincenzo: At least until now.
Claudia: These are 200 grams?
Vincenzo: More like 300.
Claudia: More like 300! Well, we're not shy. How many years have you been doing it?
Vincenzo: Ever since I was young. I've been doing this job for almost 35 years. This is something that has been passed down over generations. The first cheese master in my family was born in 1860, something like that.
Claudia: This is a fresh burrata?
Vincenzo: This is freshly made. We just made it.
Claudia: Whoa, look at that cream. Incredible. There's a lot of stracciatella inside.
Vincenzo: Yes.
Claudia: I am used to burrata I find abroad —
Vincenzo: It's all cream.
Claudia: All cream. Terrible!
Vincenzo: So, this is the difference with the machine I was telling you about.
Claudia: Yes.
Vincenzo: When it is minced with the machine, stracciatella becomes a cream.
Claudia: Yes, yes.
Vincenzo: Whereas when it is made by hand, this is the real stracciatella.
Claudia: Wow. Fantastic. We can't taste this, right?
Vincenzo: Of course. Try it.
Claudia: This is my breakfast. You know, when I went to Spain, they gave me ham for breakfast.
Vincenzo: With jamón.
Claudia: Ham and oil. Fittingly, here in Puglia, coffee and burrata.
Vincenzo: Burrata.
Claudia: Incredible.
Vincenzo: It's like a cappuccino.
Claudia: Yes. Milk is there. Well, cheers!
Vincenzo: Buon appetito.
Claudia: He just left. It's so good. It's so creamy. It's incredible. You don't feel that there is, like, the small little pieces and the outside part, which is harder. It melts in your mouth.
Vincenzo: It doesn't have a flat taste as it would be if made with citric acid, but it has a more sour taste. Sapidity-wise, it's superior. We use milk from grazed pastures, not milk where cows are locked in barns. We have less yield, less protein, more fat, a superior coloring value. But sapidity is unattainable.
Claudia: [sighs] I don't know why I moved abroad. I should just live here and have burrata for breakfast every morning.