Cheese Database

Stracciata vs Stracciatella

Stracciata

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Fresh
Type
Stretched curd
Rind
No rind
Country
Italy
Place
Molise

Stracciata is a fresh pasta filata cheese from Molise, Italy, made from cow's milk. The name comes from an Italian verb that means to tear, and the cheese really is pulled into ribbons. Makers fold or braid those ribbons into a loose, flat shape rather than a firm ball. The paste is moist, mild, and meant to be eaten soon after it is made. It sits with mozzarella and other stretched cheeses, but the torn form is its own mark.

Stracciatella, field guide plate
Stracciatella, photographed

Stracciatella

Facts

Texture
Fresh
Type
Stretched curd
Rind
No rind
Country
Italy
Place
Apulia

Stracciatella is a fresh cheese from Apulia, in southern Italy, and the name means little shreds. Makers pull stretched curd into fine ragged pieces and mix those pieces with cream. The result is white, soft, and spoonable, with no rind and no aging. It is the loose filling that sits inside a burrata, and it is also sold on its own in a tub. Either way, it is meant to be eaten while it is still fresh and mild.