The best way I like to describe the burrata cheese, one of the most delicious Italian cheeses, is a famous way of saying: “Do not judge a person by their appearance”.
Outside it has a soft shell that looks like the most exquisite mozzarella, but when you cut the small bulging “head” where the pouch has been sealed, the creamy interior is revealed as it slowly seeps from the center, like rich cream. An important thing to remember is that burrata is not mozzarella, it is a very special type of cheese. The solid outer curd is made from fresh mozzarella, but the inside is filled with a soft, stringy curd and fresh cream.
Burrata, a love story
Burrata is originally from Puglia - the southern Italian region set right at the Boot's Heel - and according to history it was created for the first time in 1920 in the small town of Andria. (Alexa, please find the next flight to Andria, thank you).
It’s traditionally wrapped with a tiny grass stems or larger asphodel leaves as a sign of freshness: if the leaves are still green, it means the cheese is freshly made.
When you buy burrata, the best way to enjoy it is to eat it within 24/48 hours (the more you wait, the more the taste and texture will be diluted) and served at room temperature. Remember that also fresh mozzarella should be always served at room temperature and kept in its water.
There are many ways to enjoy your burrata, but the best way is to keep it simple; it’s a fresh cheese and its taste is already rich. A drizzle of Italian extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, some ripe tomatoes, and a couple of slices of warm bread and dinner is served!
If you like to experiment a bit, you can put burrata on top of your pizza with prosciutto immediately after it is out of the oven, or on your risotto too.
Where to buy burrata in NYC
In New York, a lot of restaurants now serve burrata (and I personally hate when they season it with balsamic vinegar), but if you want to experience this magic at home, we selected some of the best places in town where you can head over to buy it, as soon as you finished reading the article.
Eataly
Eataly is the world's largest Italian food and beverage marketplace and is the place where you can eat a meal at restaurants or quick-service counters, shop for the ingredients, and learn through classes and tastings. They offer an extensive range of the best artisanal Italian and American products made by regional and local farmers, bakers, and pasta makers. They carry burrata imported from Italy, and burrata produced by local artisans.
Eataly's burrata cheese
Agata & Valentina
This family-owned specialty foods store opened its first location in Upper East Side in 1993 and in 2012 they added a new location in Greenwich Village. They specialize in artisanal food products imported directly from Italy. Their burrata comes from Corato, a small town in Puglia, which is also the hometown of one of the owners Louis Balducci’s grandparents. They carry the classic burrata and they recently introduced also a smoked burrata, also from Corato. It has a smoked exterior that gives the cheese a straw color and a stronger taste.
Agata & Valentina's Cheeses Corner
Di Palo's
100 years before Eataly opened, there was Di Palo’s, the Little Italy Italian-foods shrine where celebrities, chefs and neighborhood nonnas still take a number and wait their turn. But the landmark isn’t only a store, it’s a latteria, one of a dwindling number that makes their own freshly pulled pasta filata, mozzarella and of course fresh burrata. If you go there, make sure to buy also their focaccia, then go home, warm it up and eat it with your burrata (you can thank me later).
Di Palo's burrata
Murray's Cheese
Founded in Greenwich Village in 1940, Murray’s Cheese is the oldest cheese shop in NYC and with more than 300 cheese, it’s a heaven for all the cheese lovers. They carry the classic burrata and also (drumroll please) the truffled burrata from Maplebrook, the famous Farm in Vermont that produces one of the best burrata in the country and has been awarded for their burrata almost every year since 2011 by the American Cheese Society.
Murray's Cheese burrata
Sergimmo Salumeria
This Italian trattoria with locations in Midtown and West Village and Whitestone serves authentic, homemade food. Sergio and Massimo grew up in the food business and persistently worked to refine and acquired a taste for only flavorful foods. In the back of their stores, they produce everyday fresh mozzarella, but you can also find burrata that is imported from Puglia.
Sergimmo's burrata