Aleksei Kuznetsov

Burrata - Italian gourmet cheese.

Burrata is an Italian cheese that is the perfect combination of mozzarella and cream. Its name comes from the word burro, which means "butter". Each ball is a bag of mozzarella filled with filling. And although burrata cannot boast of a rich history, it has a lot of interesting facts in store, which we will now tell you about.

The history of the origin of the burrata is the southern Italian plateau of Murgia. The history of cheese began in 1920 (according to some sources in 1900) in the city of Andria. The Bianchini family made it for the first time on their farm, and for 30 years the cheese delighted only the locals. The invention of the recipe was the result of a typical rural tradition to reuse the surplus of any production. The idea was to mix the leftover pasta filata cheese and cream and wrap it in a mozzarella bag.

The popularity of burrata in Italy increased in the 1950s after some cheese factories began to produce and market it. Although the cheese was made from "trimmings" (ritagli) of mozzarella, it was marketed as a premium product. Today, burrata is made by hand by highly skilled craftsmen. In this connection, the tastes of cheeses produced in different factories may differ.

Burrata has become widespread on the East Coast of the United States, where many Italian Americans live.

How they make?...

Cheese is made from milk and cream of cows and buffaloes in the regions of Apulia (Puglia), Campania (Campania), Basilicata (Basilicata).

The first stage is no different from the production of other cheeses. It consists in the fact that warm milk is curdled by adding rennet. Next, the curdled clot is dipped in hot salted water or whey. Then the resulting mass is mixed and stretched elastic strings, characteristic of Pasta Filata cheeses. Then they make the cheese of the required shape.

Hot balls form bags that are filled with stuffing (a mixture of cream with pieces of mozzarella). Ready burata is traditionally wrapped in asphodel leaves, tying the top, and moistened with whey. The golden flower is a flower that grows wild in southern Italy. It gives the cheese a special flavor.

Today, three companies make burrata in Italy: Cooperativa Caseificio Pugliese; Azienda Cordisco; Azienda Agricola Querceta.

How to eat and store.

Burrata is a soft, delicate cheese with a milky fresh taste. A white porcelain pouch filled with a creamy texture. The weight of one serving of cheese varies from 250 to 500 g. Burata is eaten as fresh as possible. It is preferable to use it within 24-48 hours. After two days from the moment of preparation, it is considered not young, but remains quite edible. Although there may be a smell of sour milk. Before serving, you must first remove the cheese from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Thus, it will reveal all its flavor notes and acquire the necessary consistency.

Burrata is eaten on its own, sprinkled with salt and black pepper, sprinkled with olive oil, using a slice of bread or a cracker to collect the liquid filling. Just like mozzarella, in Italy it is served with fresh tomatoes and basil or grilled vegetables.

Cheese is used as a delicious pizza topping. You need to add it to pizza at the very end of baking, so it becomes warm and soft, but not too watery.

Burrata goes well with a number of products: arugula, avocados, legumes, beets, garlic, honey, lemon, melon, peaches, nuts.

Nutritional value and useful properties.

The calorie content of cheese directly depends on the composition of the filling. Now there are a large number of variations on sale: with ricotta, with blackberries, with black truffles, etc.

Here is an example of the nutritional value of 100 g of burrata with a classic filling (cream and mozzarella):

-Calorie content 321 kcal,

-Proteins 18 g,

-Fats 25 g,

-Carbohydrates 0 g,

-Cholesterol 20 mg,

-Sodium 85 mg,

-Vitamin A 36 mcg,

-Calcium 150 mg.

Burrata is a high-calorie product, and therefore you need to consume it in proportion to the diet of your diet. Like all dairy products, burrata is an excellent source of calcium, which is involved in the formation of bones, muscles and nerve impulses.

By eating 30 g of cheese, you will provide your body with: 16% daily calcium, 5% vitamin A, 4% sodium.

Price in Italy, USA and Russia.

Burrata is inferior in prevalence to its older brother mozzarella, therefore the price level for this cheese is slightly higher.

-In Italy, you can buy a burrata with a classic filling within 7-9 Euros for 500 g.

-In the eastern states of the United States, where burrata is especially popular, you can buy it for $ 10, although for a higher quality product you will have to pay about $ 12 for 500 g.

-On the Internet, you can find offers to sell burrata in Russia (again, Russian-made and with a 10-day shelf life) at a price of 250-470 rubles for 250 g of cheese.

Now you have another great reason to visit Italy, don't you? Live with taste and remember: "Burrata does not fall far from mozzarella!"

Gypsum is an astringent powder, indispensable in many branches of construction and medicine.

Gypsum has been known since antiquity, but still has not lost its popularity, even many modern materials cannot compete with it. It is used in the construction, porcelain, ceramics, oil and medicine industries.

Description of building material

Gypsum is made from gypsum stone. To obtain gypsum powder, the stone is fired in rotary kilns and then ground to form a powder. Most of all, gypsum is used in construction.

Walls plastered with gypsum mortar are able to absorb excess moisture and release it when the air is too dry.

Gypsum formula

The name gypsum comes from the Greek word gipsos. This material belongs to the class of sulfates. Its chemical formula is CaSO4?2H2O.

Specifications and properties

For all gypsum mixtures, the technical characteristics are very similar, let's dwell on the properties and features of building gypsum.

These include:

-Density. Gypsum has a dense fine-grained structure. The true density is 2.60-2.76 g / cm. In a loosely poured form, it has a density of 850-1150 kg / m, and in a compacted form, the density is 1245-1455 kg / m.

-How much to dry. The advantages of gypsum include fast setting and hardening. Gypsum seizes in the fourth minute after mixing the solution, and after half an hour it completely hardens. Therefore, the finished gypsum mortar must be used up immediately. To slow down the setting, water-soluble animal glue is added to the plaster.

-Specific gravity. The specific gravity of gypsum is measured in kg/m in the ICSC system. Since the ratio of mass is equal to the volume it occupies, the specific, volumetric and bulk density of gypsum is approximately the same.

-What temperature can it withstand (melting t). Gypsum can be heated to t 600-700°C without destruction. The fire resistance of gypsum products is high. Their destruction occurs only six to eight hours after exposure to high temperature.

-Strength. Building gypsum in compression has a strength of 4-6 MPa, high-strength - from 15 to 40 MPa or more. In well-dried samples, the strength is two to three times higher.

-Thermal conductivity. Gypsum is a poor conductor of heat. Its thermal conductivity is 0.259 kcal/m deg/h in the range from 15 to 45°C.

-Solubility in water. It dissolves in small quantities: 2.256 g dissolves in 1 liter of water at 0 °, 2.534 g at 15 °, and 2.684 g at 35 °; further heating decreases the solubility again.

Monki is a Swedish brand, manufacturer of youth clothing and footwear. Founded in 2006, the brand is owned by H&M along with COS, Cheap Monday and Other Stories.

The Monki brand is engaged in the production of outstanding youth clothing and footwear, designed primarily for teenage girls. The range of the brand includes the entire basic wardrobe in casual style with original prints and silhouettes, products that meet the latest fashion trends, as well as bold and extravagant models that combine Scandinavian and Asian motifs.

The main philosophy of the brand is self-expression with the help of extraordinary things and eye-catching accessories.

In January 2020, the Monki brand presented a new collection of Monki Denim denim pants. The sophistication of this collection lies precisely in the fact that it consists of a number of various models in the most diverse colors - from traditional to ultra-modern.

At the moment, the company's creative collections are sold in many countries. There are more than 120 branded stores, each of which looks like a fairy-tale world and is designed in the form of a forest, a park, a city, an underwater kingdom.

“Monki is the first fashion brand to receive RFSL LGBTQ certification; this marks a major turn towards greater inclusion in the fashion industry and we are very proud to be part of the Monki journey,” added Gustaf Hedman, Director of Education at RFSL.

Relatively recently, in the arsenal there were materials suitable for decorating a room and a kitchen, used interior concrete. What is it and what does it look like?

Interior concrete is essentially an artificial stone formed from various types of particles, water and a binder. So, for a countertop, sand, cement, water and an additive to improve the quality of the material act from specific components. From the composition follows the most important plus of such a natural surface - absolute environmental friendliness and naturalness of the components.

Interior concrete will decorate a room decorated in any of the urban design trends; it is a brutal and at the same time original item.

Interior concrete is not afraid of water, therefore it is effectively used in the production of countertops, sinks, cabinets and podiums for the bathroom. detrimental effect on him. For protection, an eye polymer does not appear on the surface, it causes the appearance of stains and damage and additional aesthetic qualities of the material, manifested by its matte or glossy sheen. In this form, the interior of the concrete will last for many years in the kitchen or bathroom.

The strength of a concrete structure is generally comparable to that of granite, but the polished surface is less resistant to possible damage and scratches that can occur, for example, when sharp objects fall.

Under the influence of high temperatures, concrete tends to turn white, this manifests itself at a temperature of 150 degrees: there will be no traces of hot dishes, and easily from red-hot dishes.

Is it possible to transform or decorate interior concrete? Since the material is natural, it retains the natural pattern, patina, porosity and other visual effects that make it unique. At the same time, at the request of customers, craftsmen often decorate concrete in the following ways:

-color pigments are added during production. It is possible to create almost any color and shade.

-they use stone chips, shell rock, colored glass, thus achieving an unusual structure. a similar variety is called - terrazzo.

-form a composition of concrete and natural wood, the composition can also be made with epoxy resin. and then - your imagination will help you.