Bra (cheese)

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Bra is a northern Italian cheese with a protected designation of origin .

history

The cheese , which has been guaranteed since the end of the 14th century , is named after the town of the same name, Bra in Piedmont , at whose market the cheese masters from the surrounding mountains sold the matured cheese wheels. Today the European cheese fair Cheese takes place in Bra every two years . The annual production volume of Bra cheese is around 800 tons with an upward trend ( 1999 : 788 t / 137,849 loaves; 2000 : 801 t / 144,093 loaves; 2001 : 863 t / 154,000 loaves).

Manufacturing

First of all, the cow's milk from the evening milking session is left to stand in copper kettles overnight. The next morning, the cream deposited on top is removed with a spatula and then the morning milk is mixed in. Then the mixture is allowed to curdle with the help of a starter culture and then a little sheep and goat milk and rennet from milk calves warmed to 27–32 ° C are added in small amounts . The correct degree of thickness of the resulting thickness is determined by sticking a straw into the mass, if this stands straight, it is perfect and is broken with a blade in a circular motion and crushed into pieces the size of barley grains, with a large part of the whey is released. Before the broken fraction is put into the mold, it is cut a second time. For a week, the molds are pressed with a weighted wooden board and lightly salted several times. When making Bra tenero ( see below: Variants), the molds can also be dipped in saturated brine. Then the loaves come out of the mold and, depending on the type, are stored in the ripening room for a shorter or longer period.

properties

The wheel-shaped loaves with straight or slightly convex cheek and flat front sides have a diameter of 35 to 40 cm, a height of 7 to 10 cm and a weight of 5 to 8 kg. The taste and texture of the rind and dough depend on the type, see next section. All variants are very odorous.

variants

Bra (DOP) is produced in the province of Cuneo and in the municipality of Villafranca ( Piedmont ) in the province of Turin . It is available in two types:

  • Bra tenero made from whole milk matures for 45 days to 3 months and is a table cheese with a sweet, aromatic taste. The dough is compact and elastic with slightly small perforations, the rind is even, very thin and elastic, from a straw-white to parchment-gray color.
  • Bra duro made from partially skimmed milk matures for at least six months, as grated cheese a year or more, and is a table and grated cheese with an intensely spicy taste. The dough is drier than tenero , the rind is thin, elastic and brown-beige in color.

Bra d'alpeggio (DOP) is still made entirely by hand in the mountainous communities of Cuneo. The production technique is very similar to that of the Bra from the plain: very simple tools are still used and the procedures are not mechanized. The bark is thin and elastic, white in the soft type and beige or brown in the hard type. The dough of the tenero is light beige, that of the duro straw yellow.

use

The Bra is in Genova part of the local pesto , in Piedmont, he is widely appreciated for its quality as a table or grated cheese.

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