A mozzarella cheese It has always been one of the most famous and popular Italian cheeses around the world, as symbolic of the national cuisine as spaghetti or tiramisu.
However, a surprising change is happening, and the burrata, a soft, white cheese often similar in shape and size to mozzarella but with a delicate, cream-filled center, appears to be gaining popularity both in Italy and abroad.
Burrata conquers the top of preferences
A burrata is now the most popular Italian cheese in Italy, Spain, France and the UK, according to a survey by international restaurant booking platform, TheFork.
The research analyzed the number of online searches for keywords related to Italian dairy products in the last 12 months in these four countries. In every case, the burrata outperformed the mozzarella.
Burrata's popularity grows in Italy and abroad
This trend reflects the controversial results of the TasteAtlas World Atlas of Traditional Cuisine in early 2023, which placed eight Italian cheeses in the world's top ten, with burrata in third place and mozzarella (specifically buffalo mozzarella from Campania PDO) in seventh.
Producers rush to increase production capacity
The growing popularity of burrata in Italy and abroad is leading producers to increase their production capacity, according to Italian press reports.
Burrata is produced in the southern Italian region of Puglia, which has held the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) designation for the cheese since 2016.
A cheese with international recognition
The owner of the Deliziosa cheese company, Giovanni D'Ambruoso, claims that burrata has already surpassed mozzarella in terms of revenue. According to him, this type of cheese represented half of his revenue of 126 million euros in 2022.
A significant part of this production is destined for international markets, with exports representing approximately 40%.
Burrata Popularity Challenges
However, producers warn that this international recognition has inspired the creation of “imitations” of burrata, as is already the case with mozzarella, when products with a similar appearance are manufactured outside the PGI area or even outside Italy — including in Brazil.
Burrata: the artisanal touch of authenticity
In Puglia, both burrata and mozzarella are traditionally made by hand. Local producers say this is what sets the PGI product apart.
A growing market for imitations
The growing trade in fake versions of Italian food and drinks — from imitation prosecco to 'Parma ham' — was worth 120 billion euros in 2023 (approximately 720 billion reais), according to farmers' association Coldiretti.
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