Bra Dop
Bra cheese takes its name from the town situated in the Cuneo Plain, which in the past was the major market. Its origins date back to 1300, when the cheese was produced in the valleys and the mountains of Cuneo, and sold, after seasoning, in the markets of Piedmont and especially in the Liguria area, where the cheese is used as an ingredient in the preparation of the typical pesto sauce.
Consumption
Bra is produced in two different types: soft and hard. Soft cheese is especially used on its own, while the hard cheese can also be grated. Both are well accompanied by red wine.
Identification
The marking at origin of Bra Dop
There is a film on the flat face of the form with the image of the authorised mark of the consortium and the community logo identifying the Pdo. The wording 'Bra Dop tenero' is instead impressed around the rind.
I.D. card
- Type
- Raw cheese made from soft ' semi hard dough (Bra Tenero) or from hard dough (Bra Duro)
- Description
- The soft cheese is white in colour while the crust is greyish, elastic, smooth and regular; the hard cheese is yellowish and opaque and the crust is harder, more consistent and of a dark grey colour; the forms are cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of 30 to 40 cm and a convex of 7-9 cm and a weight of 6 to 8 kg
- Characteristics
- The soft cheese is a bit spicy while the hard cheese is very spicy
- Area of production
- Bra is produced in the entire area of the province of Cuneo, and maturation takes place also in the districts of Villafranca Piemonte, near Torino
- Selling period
- All year round
- Normative references
- European registration with Council regulation (CE) n. 1263/96 issued on GUCE L 163/96, 2nd July 1996; national recognition with DPR 16th December 1982 on GURI n. 196, 19th July 1983, protected with DM 26th May 1995
