Food Encyclopedia

burrino

A special pasta filata-style cow's-milk cheese that hails from southern Italy (Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campangna and Sicily). Burrino is made by hand-shaping the fresh cheese (such as mozzarella or provolone) around a pat of very cold butter, then tying it at the top. Such cheeses may also sometimes be stuffed with other foods, such as a chunk of salami; some are smoked. Burrino, which can be fresh or ripened for a few weeks, is also called burielli, butirro, manteca, piticelle and provole, depending on where the cheese is made.