Around Bra in 10 Cheeses

If you’re lucky enough to be in Bra this weekend for the embarrassingly bountiful display of cheeses from around the world, we offer some suggestions to make your way around the market. If not, come on a virtual tour of Bra through ten cheeses and their producers. 

1. The Chimney

Condor’s Ruin, USA

Producer: Many Fold Farm

Named after the dairy just a stone’s throw from where it’s produced, Tim Gaddis, director of cheese house operations explained that this ash-covered chimney-shaped cheese is not just “pretty”, but also “represents us.” Having taken its characteristic shape from the dairy’s symbolic fireplace, Many Fold Farm isn’t actually licensed to sell cheese in Europe, so visitors to the stand will be happy to hear they are literally this giving away this sheep’s milk cheese.

2. The Truffle

Belper Knolle, Switzerland

Producer: Jumi

As producer Mike Glauser explained, this cheese was actually invented by accident by his uncle, Peter Glauser 10 years ago. He’d forgotten about a few batches of cream cheese and when he found them a year later, they had air dried and hardened.  “In his generation, they didn’t waste food, so he thought ‘what can I do with this?’ and Belper Knolle was born!” The cheese is seasoned with rock salt and garlic and coated in black pepper. Air drying concentrates its flavors, so it can be used as a seasoning, shaved like a truffle on top of pasta, risotto, gnocchi or soups.

3. The Pink Cheese

Cardo, UK

Producer: Mary Holbrook

According to Miranda Bubb-Humpfreys of Neal’s Yard Dairy, “this cheese stands out because it’s very pretty, pink and plump.” This raw goat’s milk cheese owes it color to the use of cardoon stamens as a coagulant.

4. Experimental Cheese

Pecorino Toscano, Italy

Producer: Gian Carlo Canti

If you like flavored cheeses this one will not disappoint! Hickory leaves, wheat, hay, juniper or ash are all used to flavor the milk with which the cheese is produced, and sometimes pear, fig, grappa or Chianti.

5. Cheese in Cloth

Marigold, Spain

Producer: Cortes de Muar

This raw cow’s milk cheese typical to Galicia is aged in butter cream and covered in muslin cloth. During the aging process the butter cream becomes slightly rancid and imparts a piquant, sharp taste to the cheese.

6. The High Cheese

Hantmutschli, Switzerland

Producer: Jumi

 “Our company is two crazy kids who started this business to keep small-scale production and family farms alive in our area, close to Bern,” said cheesemaker Mike Glauser. “This semi-hard, raw cow’s milk cheese contains roasted hemp seeds, which creates a really funky, crazy play on texture contrast.”

7. The Wedding Cake

Montebore, Italy

Producer: Roberto Grattone

Have you ever seen a cheese that looks like a wedding cake? Leonardo da Vinci selected this cheese to be served during the extravagant wedding between Isabella of Aragon and Gian Galeazzo Sforza at the end of the 15th century!

8. The Perfect Circle

Pallone di Gravina, Italy

Producer: Nicola Derosa

Perfectly round for the purpose of tying during transit and hanging them in caves for aging, eat it with fig jam or with quince jam: you won’t regret, promises Nicola Derosa!

9. Brown and Sticky

Crotte de marquise, France             

Producer: Huges Lataste

Producer Marayn de Bartassac confessed that the shape of this curious-looking cheese was inspired by excrement once produced by a French Marquess. Made by hand, this cow’s milk is admittedly ‘trés difficile’ to produce.

10. The Tube

Innes Log, UK

Producer: Innes Cheese

This raw goat’s milk cheese is produced every single day of the year by Innes cheesemakers in Staffordshire. The cheesemaker Joe explained how the they had tradition in mind when producing the goat’s cheese log.

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