Bra

The production specification identifies Bra as an important cheese market and cites the town’s commercial activity in records from 1371. The cheese’s roots also lie with the herders who moved from the highlands to the foothills and Cuneo plain in winter.

Their craft passed to the dairies of the valleys and plain. Bra is therefore more than a town name on a wheel: it connects a trading center with a wider landscape of milk production and cheesemaking.

The distinction between Bra Tenero and Bra Duro begins in the vat. Both undergo two cuts of the curd, but the final pieces are larger for Tenero, about the size of a corn kernel, and smaller for Duro, about the size of a grain of unhusked rice. The curd is molded and pressed, then the cheese is salted in brine or dry-salted.

Time completes the difference: Tenero matures for at least 45 days, Duro for at least six months. The younger cheese keeps an elastic paste; the Duro develops a more pronounced flavor and can be used at the table or grated.

Use the full protected name, Bra DOP, when choosing this cheese. The specification sets its maturation as follows: Tenero: at least 45 days; Duro: at least 6 months.