If You Love Burrata, You Have To Try This Lesser-Known Italian Cheese

Whether you're dining at a fancy Italian restaurant or grabbing pizza from a local joint, there's a good chance you're going to find burrata on the menu. The popularity of this creamy soft cheese has exploded in recent years, bringing far beyond the corners of Italy. And if you've become a fan, well there's another lesser-known cheese you need to get your hands on: Burrino pepato.

Burrino, or manteca, is a tear-shaped, stretched-curd cheese that hails from southern Italy, where it's aged and filled with gobs of soft, salted butter. Burrino pepato is simply a pepper-coated version that was created by Murray's Cheese, a U.S. based importer. The pepper gives it a fragrant and zesty flavor, which pairs amazingly with the buttery center.

Burrino is typically made with scamorza, or aged mozzarella. The aging process, which typically lasts for about a week, allows the texture of the cheese to remain soft, but it dries it out just slightly for a tangier taste. Once you cut into the middle, you get to the butter center which ends up having a slightly floral aroma. The pepper coating gives it a flavor reminiscent of a cacio e pepe, but in a spreadable form. 

Burrino gets its shape from the ancient drying process it goes through, which includes being hung up in a cave inside of a bag, giving it its unique shape. Murray's Cheese leaves its burrino like this for one week before coating it in two types of heirloom peppercorns and aging for two more weeks.

No one is quite sure when burrino was invented, but it may have been an Old-World way of preserving butter. It's not the easiest thing to find, but if you can, it has a smooth, mild taste that goes amazing with fresh bread and roasted vegetables. It's usually enjoyed on pieces of baguette, but it also pairs well with fennel, tomatoes, or truffle.

Many dairies also use a flavored butter, like maple or fig, in the center, which goes great with sweet potato, spiced crackers, or flavored nuts. Burrino pepato is a showstopper, so you could simply serve it on the table with some homemade crostini, or use it to create the ultimate cheese board. You could try using it to top a pasta dish too. Just make sure to serve with a nice white wine or sparkling rosé, and you'll never crave burrata again.