Meaning little rags, stracciatella is the name for three different Italian foods: soup, cheese, and gelato – the only thing they have in common is their name.
Stracciatella soup
Stracciatella soup originated centuries ago in Rome. Back in the day, people bought large quantities of meat to make their Christmas broth, and would always have a substantial amount leftover, which led to the soup recipe.
To prepare it, bring the meat broth to a boil. In the meantime, beat the eggs with chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste, then add the eggs to the broth over low heat, whisking constantly, and serve with toasted bread crostini. The soup is named for the beaten eggs, which look like little straccetti (little rags).
Stracciatella cheese
The cheese originated in Puglia – the land of burrata, a descendant of stracciatella. It was created at the beginning of the 20th century by mixing scraps leftover from mozzarella production with fresh cream. Burrata is stracciatella wrapped in a mozzarella casing. Today, stracciatella is made with cow’s milk, but Puglia's province of Foggia is known for an excellent buffalo's milk stracciatella. Though excellent on its own, stracciatella can be served alongside peas or leeks, or with orecchiette and broccoli rabe.
Stracciatella gelato
The gelato flavor originated in 1961 at La Marianna in Bergamo, a city in Lombardy around one hour northeast of Milan. Owner Enrico Panattoni created a white cream studded with shards of dark chocolate. According to the website, he drew inspiration from one of the restaurant's most popular dishes – namely stracciatella alla romana. “In fact, the melted chocolate that solidifies and shatters in the food processor is reminiscent of the egg that congeals in the boiling broth of stracciatella alla romana.”