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Cheese from Italy, Piemonte

BrusBross

Brus is a fermented cheese spread. Cheeses of one or several kinds, rind removed, are grated or broken up, mixed with a little milk and left in covered pots at room temperature, stirred every day, for 20–30 days until a second fermentation turns them into a sharp, spreadable cream. Grappa or brandy is often stirred in at the end to stop it.

Fully documentedCheese20 daysPAT (Regione Piemonte, D.D. 24 July 2015 n. 460)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe regional sheet gives no amounts; recipes differ by valley and maker. Some keep part of each batch as a 'madre' to start the next.
Cheeses of one or several kinds, young or aged, free of defectsThe ONAF sheet prefers cheese from ewe milk[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Ricotta (optional)[pat-sheet]
Milk, as needed for a creamy texture[pat-sheet]
Herbs, pepper, paprika seed, garlic, rosemary, oil or vinegar (optional)[onaf-sheet][pat-sheet]
Grappa, brandy, cognac or dry white wine, to stop the fermentation (optional)[onaf-sheet][pat-sheet]
Starterbackslop; some makers keep part of a batch as a 'madre' and add new cheese to it

Total time across the recorded steps: 20 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Rinds come off and the cheeses are grated or broken into small pieces

Step 1 of 5
Remove the rind and grate or break the cheeses
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Brus is a fermented cheese spread. Cheeses of one or several kinds, rind removed, are grated or broken up, mixed with a little milk and left in covered pots at room temperature, stirred every day, for 20–30 days until a second fermentation turns them into a sharp, spreadable cream. Grappa or brandy is often stirred in at the end to stop it. Made in 5 steps over 20 days. The longest step, ferment at room temperature, stirring daily, takes at least 20 days (Regione Piemonte 2015).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 20 daysReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ferment at room temperature, stirring daily

What makes this one different

Brus starts from finished cheese, not milk. Leftover cheeses are broken up and left to re-ferment for weeks into a pungent spread, often finished with grappa.

Type
Fermented cheese spread made from other cheeses, not a cheese made from milk
Rind
None
Size
Glass jars of about 50 to 300 g

Related ferments

Variants

  • Brus from Tuma di BossolascoTuma aged at least two months is sealed in glass jars for at least two more months.
  • Brus da ricottaMade from ricotta (mostly sheep, sometimes cow or goat) with a little milk and chilli or black pepper, kept in the ripening room at 8–10 °C for 30–40 days. The ONAF sheet says no spirits or wine are added.

Safety

The regional sheet flags insects if the pot is not covered, and a higher water activity when moist cheeses are used; older cheeses carry less risk. A 2004 regional research programme tested some samples from some producers. They had no Salmonella, no Listeria monocytogenes and no detectable staphylococcal enterotoxin, and one case had high staphylococci or E. coli. The sheet gives no pH or water-activity figure for the room-temperature jars, so no source here shows what would stop Clostridium botulinum in a sealed one. CDC names chopped garlic in oil as a botulism source. Keep a home batch in the fridge, above all one made with garlic, herbs or oil.

Hazards the sources name: Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (not found in a 2004 regional survey that tested some samples from some producers); Coagulase-positive staphylococci or Escherichia coli (high in one survey case; negative for E. coli O157).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The regional sheet links its birth to the old need to reuse cheeses or pieces of cheese that could no longer be sold. The 1859 Gran Dizionario piemontese-italiano by Vittorio di Sant'Albino describes it as a very strong cheese made from old, well-fermented cheese kneaded with brandy, butter and other spices and kept in small boxes (ONAF sheet).

Temperature, salt and pH
The sources we found give no temperature, salt or pH figure for any of its steps.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Piemonte 2015, Schede tecniche prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali (D.D. 24 luglio 2015, n. 460), Categoria I prodotto n. 01 'Brus'gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Brus'web
  3. [onaf-ricotta] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Brus da ricotta' (source of the ricotta variant)web
  4. [onaf] ONAF, scheda formaggio 'Brus' (id 445)web
  5. [cdc-botulism] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Botulism Prevention (updated 26 February 2026)gov