What’s Panzanella?

I could, and would, just eat croutons and vinaigrette if permitted. It is for this reason, paired with new year laziness, that I decided to make panzanella, which primarily consists of these two ingredients. While numerous writers and scholars have attributed “cellar door” to be the most phono-aesthetically sound two words, I personally derive more enjoyment from “bread salad.”

Bread and vinegar do not comprise a cohesive meal, however, so I opted for a caprese salad, adding tomato, basil and, ideally mozzarella. In lieu of regular mozzarella,  I visited the Italian oasis that is Cioffi’s for the most special of special ingredients: burrata, imported from Italy.

Where did at least one of its parts come from originally & what is its historical significance? (Burrata)

Etymologically, it’s not hard to discern burrata‘s origin: it pretty much directly translates from “buttered.” It consists of a pouch of mozzarella, filled with thick cream and spindly curds of mozzarella. An incredibly simple food, it is best suited to simple dishes- hot applications will just melt it and lose its unique qualities. 

As with many of the best foods, burrata is ultra-regional, hailing from Apulia, Italy, and, with many other ultra-regional European treasures, comes with its own meticulous set of standards, officialized by the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs: from packaging (wrapped in plastic, or plasticized leaves,) to its agreed-upon origin story (a farmer, Lorenzo Bianchino, had to make use of his fresh milk in any way possible during a snowstorm.) Despite its rather recent invention, burrata is a culturally and historically significant enough food to have been given its own origin story.

Foster, Kelli. “What's the Difference Between Mozzarella and Burrata?” Kitchn. Apartment Therapy, LLC., May 1, 2019. https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-mozzarella-and-burrata-word-of-mouth-219642. Jones, Carey. “Snapshots from Italy: Making Burrata, the Meta-Mozzarella, in Puglia.” Serious Eats. Serious Eats, August 10, 2018. https://www.seriouseats.com/2009/04/making-burrata-the-meta-mozzarella-in-puglia-italy.html. “Publication of an Application Pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Quality Schemes for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs,” n.d.