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Brus (Bross) is an Italian cheese made from sheep's milk in Piemonte - Piemonte Region
Characteristics: It is a cheese with a homogeneous mass, creamy and easy to spread, white, pale, gray - or even a little greenish (if blue cheese is used), quite aromatic and its taste is more or less pungent and intense spicy. It is obtained through the fermentation of pieces of cheese or cottage cheese.
Process technology: To prepare it, different types of cheeses are generally used, depending on the production areas: Castelmagno, Ricotta, Robiola, Toma Piemontese, etc. You can add: fresh milk, cream or distillates.
After removing the rind, the cheese is grated (if it is hard pasta), or it is cut into small flakes. Everything is mixed and kneaded. They are then put into glass or terracotta cans or jars. A certain amount of fresh milk or cream is added to the mixture. Everything is left to ferment in a cool place for several days, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. When the product becomes creamy, the addition of fermentation is stopped (but not in all areas) with ethyl alcohol or other liqueurs, such as Brandy, to the extent of 20 to 25 cc per kg of product. In the Piedmont areas no alcohol is added to the Brus, but only milk and in Acqui only salt and water are added.
During the ripening phase, the containers are covered with unsealed lids.
To give the product more flavor, in some cases a bay leaf, garlic, rosemary and other herbs are added. After 20-30 days of preparation, the product is ready for consumption. Maturation and maintenance: in terracotta or glass containers, and in some cases in wooden containers with a perforated bottom. To cut it, wooden or aluminum or stainless steel ladles and spatulas are used, or special Teflon to cut cheese.
Notes: the production of this cheese is carried out in laboratories or in the kitchen itself and the maturation generally takes place in natural cellars.
In addition to the oral testimonies, there is the book Delforno G.: "A typical Piedmont Cheese Preparation: The Brus Cheeses". / Economic News, Chamber of Commerce, Cuneo, January 29, 1974, n º 1, pp. 3-5 Source: Piedmont BUR, Supplement No. 23 to June 6, 2002.