Brick Cheese

Brick Cheese: Nutrition, History and Cooking Guide

Brick cheese is an American semi-soft cheese originating in Wisconsin in the 1870s, developed by John Jossi — a Swiss immigrant cheesemaker — as a distinctly American cheese with characteristics between Cheddar and Limburger. The name refers to both the rectangular brick shape in which it is traditionally formed and to the practice of using actual bricks to press the curd during production. Young brick cheese (aged one to two months) is mild, sweet, and supple with good melting properties; aged brick (three to six months) becomes significantly more pungent and develops a washed-rind character similar to mild Limburger. It is classified as a surface-ripened semi-soft cheese. Brick cheese is relatively little-known outside the upper Midwest of the United States, where it remains a regional favourite in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and surrounding states. It is used primarily as a sandwich cheese, a melting cheese for burgers and hot dishes, and increasingly as a pizza cheese particularly in Wisconsin-style pizza traditions.

Nutritional Value and Uses

Brick cheese provides 371 kcal and 23.2 g of protein per 100 g, with 29.7 g of fat. Calcium at approximately 674 mg per 100 g is excellent. It provides vitamin A, B12, and phosphorus. The flavour ranges from mild-buttery when young to pleasantly pungent when aged. Use as a melting cheese on burgers, in sandwiches, on pizza, in mac and cheese, and grilled on toast. Aged brick cheese suits a cheese board with beer, rye bread, and German-style accompaniments. Where unavailable, young Muenster or Monterey Jack are reasonable substitutes for mild brick; Limburger substitutes for the aged variety.