Brouhaha over burrata

August 2, 2023 by
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Food writer Tammie Teclamariam (winner of a Best Emerging Voice award from the James Beard Foundation in 2022) stirred a hornet’s nest with her recent opinion piece for Grub Street titled “A Big Fat Blob of Boring: Can we cool it with all the burrata balls?” As quickly as you could say “comment”, a division emerged between those who agreed with Teclamariam and those who fiercely defended the Italian cheese.

Roasted carrots with carrot-top pesto and burrata from A Girl and Her Greens by April Bloomfield and J.J. Goode

Teclamariam does not dismiss burrata altogether, noting that when used with restraint, the cheese’s “dense, milky heft serves as a welcome base note to a dish’s other ingredients.” She believes that too often, however, chefs throw it on the menu as a focal point without providing the components that properly balance it, leaving only “a thick blob of cold dairy” that usually comes with an expensive price tag. Teclamariam thinks that chefs use burrata as a crutch, much like truffle oil in the 1990s.

A brief review of restaurant menus in my area indicates that it is a common item, but most reviews of the burrata dishes therein were complimentary. Since the Upper Midwest is the land of squeaky cheese curds and all other things dairy, it’s unlikely that most of my neighbors share Teclamariam’s opinion on the subject. What’s the vibe around burrata in your neck of the woods?

Category: Antipasto

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6 Comments

  • ellabee  on  August 2, 2023

    The season in which it’s available coincides with the peak of summer vegetables. It’s hard to beat burrata served with dead-ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, and chopped basil.

  • mjes  on  August 3, 2023

    A local upscale grocery store has been making mozzarella and burrata in house for more than a decade. I enrolled my entire family in a burrata cheese making class nearly a decade ago. So burrata is simply a standard pantry item, notable only when you’ve scored buffalo rather than dairy cow varieties. I thought we were long out of the fad food phase.

  • Fyretigger  on  August 3, 2023

    In Silicon Valley, as one might expect, you’ll find both the balanced pairings like Caprese Salad and the boring excess of a tennis ball sized burrata sitting in a pool of olive oil

  • matag  on  August 3, 2023

    You can say the same about a hunk filet mignon sitting unseasoned and un adorned ! Burrata done well is delicious.

  • dmass  on  August 6, 2023

    Love Burrata with fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden and a good olive oil. We try our best to eat seasonally so Burrata never disappoints.

  • dmass  on  August 6, 2023

    Love Burrata with fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden and a good olive oil. We try our best to eat seasonally so Burrata never disappoints. A poor execution of a delicious ingredient by a local restaurant wouldn’t put me off of it.

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