🧀 Stracciatella
Also known as: Stracciatella cheese
Stracciatella is the fresh filling of burrata: hand-torn shreds of stretched cheese in cream. It spoils very quickly.
Stracciatella is the fresh filling of burrata: thin shreds of stretched cheese, torn by hand and soaked in cream. It is a soft, moist mass with no shape of its own, so it cannot be sliced like ordinary cheese. The name comes from the Italian verb for “to rip”, which is exactly how it is made. 13
How it is made. The cheesemaker first produces pasta filata: the curd is heated and stretched into a smooth, springy mass. Part of this mass is not shaped but torn by hand into ribbons of varying length and width, cooled in water and mixed with cream. The Burrata di Andria rules do not allow the ribbons to be reduced to a uniform mince: uneven shreds let the cheese and cream combine better. 34
Why hands are still needed. Researchers in Bari explain that this step cannot yet be handed to a machine, because the result comes out differently. Handwork has a downside too: the more a product is handled during production, the harder it is to keep it fresh. 5
What cream is used. For Burrata di Andria it is separated from milk or fresh whey in a centrifuge. The richer the cream, the higher the temperature and the shorter the time the specification sets: at least 75 °C for 40 seconds at 10–20 % fat, at least 80 °C for 20 seconds at 20 % or more. Ready-made pasteurised or UHT cream is also allowed. 3
Stracciatella and burrata. In burrata the filling sits in a sack with a wall about 2 mm thick, which is why cream spills out when it is cut. Oral tradition dates the cheese to the early 20th century: snow stopped the milk being taken to town, and Lorenzo Bianchino wrapped leftover curd and cream in a casing. Today stracciatella is also sold on its own, in sealed trays, and is reaching international markets. 15
Why it spoils quickly. Its moisture is 62–65 % and its pH 6.0–6.2, conditions microbes like, and its fat oxidises fast. In a trial at 8 °C, a sample without preservatives clearly changed its aroma compounds after just 8 days. Sorbic acid extended freshness, while modified-atmosphere packaging helped only a little. 56
Why it matters to you. Spoilage is easy to miss here: the study's authors note that it usually shows only on tasting. So check the date, keep stracciatella in the fridge and do not leave it for long. If you want a product without additives, read the label: sorbic acid is the most common preservative in these cheeses. 35
Facts
| Raw material | Cow's milk pasta filata and cream (Burrata di Andria PGI) 3 |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy 3 |
| Region | Apulia (Burrata di Andria PGI) 3 |
| Legal basis | Described in the Burrata di Andria PGI specification, 2024 version 3 |
| Temperature | 4 ± 2 °C (Burrata di Andria) 3 |
| Taste | Aroma of fresh or cooked milk, butter and cream (Burrata di Andria) 3 |
What it includes
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Stracciatella ← gives ← 🔄 Curdling → gives → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- What is made from it
- 🧀 Burrata
- Made from
- 🥛 Cream, 🧀 Mozzarella
- How it is made
- 🔄 Curdling
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians, 🌍 Southern Europe
- Part of
- 🥛 Fresh cheeses, 🧶 Pasta filata cheeses, 🇮🇹 Italian cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Mozzarella
Frequently asked questions
How is stracciatella different from burrata?
Stracciatella is the filling: shreds of pasta filata in cream. Burrata is a pouch of pasta filata that contains it.
Where does the name stracciatella come from?
From the way the filling is made: the pasta filata is torn by hand into irregular shreds.
How is the cream for the filling prepared?
For Burrata di Andria it is separated from milk or fresh whey in a centrifuge and pasteurised: at least 75 °C for 40 seconds at 10–20 % fat, at least 80 °C for 20 seconds at 20 % or more. Ready-made pasteurised or UHT cream is also allowed.
Is it true that spoiled stracciatella is easy to spot by eye?
No. Signs of spoilage usually show only on tasting, so the date and cold storage matter.
Why is stracciatella torn by hand?
It lets the cheese and cream combine better, and mechanical shredding does not give the same result.
What to read next
- 🥛 Cow's milk — The most widespread milk in the world: versatile, inexpensive and the basis of almost all dairy products.
- 🧀 Mozzarella — A fresh pasta filata cheese from southern Italy; mozzarella di bufala from Campania is made only from buffalo milk, ordinary mozzarella from cow’s milk as well.
- 🌍 Southern Europe — The Mediterranean south of Europe — Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal: sheep's and goat's milk cheeses and most of the world's olive oil.
- 🔄 Curdling — Rennet coagulates casein into a curd (the basis of cheese).
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians — The people of Italy; their cuisine rests on wine, olive oil and cheese, and in 2025 the country made 44.4 million hectolitres of wine, the most in the world.
Similar
🧀 Burrata · 🧀 Scamorza · 🧀 Minas cheese · 🧀 Provolone · 🧀 Caciocavallo · 🧀 Mascarpone
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
Sources
- Single document 'Burrata di Andria' (PGI, IT-PGI-0005-01393), OJ C 263, 20.7.2016, p. 7 (EUR-Lex)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2103 entering Burrata di Andria (PGI) in the register
- Official Journal C/2024/1948: approved amendment to the specification of 'Burrata di Andria' (PGI)
- Official Journal C 408/2020: amendment to the single document 'Burrata di Andria'
- Natrella G. et al. Evolution of VOC and Sensory Characteristics of Stracciatella Cheese as Affected by Different Preservatives. Foods 9 (10), 1446, 2020
- Gammariello D. et al. Shelf life of Stracciatella cheese under modified-atmosphere packaging. Journal of Dairy Science 92 (2), 2009