Brick cheese is a

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, U.S., made in brick-shaped form. The color ranges from pale yellow to white, and the cheese has a sweet and mild flavor when young, and matures into a strong, ripe cheese with age. It is a medium-soft cheese.

Origins

Brick cheese was originally produced in Wisconsin beginning in 1877. The cheese-making process was derived from white American Cheddar that is cultured at a slightly higher temperature, which results in a marginally higher fat content and a slightly altered protein structure. The resultant "brick cheese" has a slightly softer texture.

Production process

Brick cheese is made in the form of a large rectangular or brick shape, but may also be named "brick" because the cheese curds are pressed with clay-fired bricks.

Culturing

Brevibacterium linens ''Brevibacterium linens'' is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium. It is the type species of the family '' Brevibacteriaceae''. ''Brevibacterium linens'' is ubiquitously present on the human skin, where it causes foot odor. The familiar odor i ...

'' grows on the surface of brick cheese, making it surface-ripened. ''Brevibacterium linens'' is also the bacterium responsible for the aging of Limburger cheese and many French cheese varieties. Cheesemakers often refer to the growth of the bacteria as a ''smear''. This is reflected in the ''Brevibacterium's'' species name ''linens'' which is Latin for 'besmearing'. The cheese is placed on wooden shelves, then gets washed with a whey and water mixture and turned. After several days the cheese is then packaged.

Regulations

The US Code of Federal Regulations defines what the fat and moisture content of brick cheese must be. This Standard of Identity does not take into account that brick cheese should be surface-ripened with ''B. linens''.

Corynebacterium ''Corynebacterium'' () is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club-shaped, which inspired the genus name ('' coryneform'' means "club- ...

and Arthrobacter are the necessary bacterial genera for smear cheese ripening. ''

'', while present in many smear cultures, is not typical.

Applications

Brick cheese is the traditional cheese for Detroit-style pizza.

References

External links

The Story of Wisconsin Brick Cheese
{{American cheeses American cheeses