Update date: 2023/01/29
What is Switzerland most famous for? Gruyere cheese?
Gruyère cheese is definitely in my top 5 favorite cheeses. A hard cheese made from unpasteurized cow’s milk in Switzerland is one of the two major Swiss cheeses, along with Emmental. Gruyère is characterized by its nutty richness and umami. If the aging period is short, the taste will be light, but I prefer the type that has been aged for a long time and has a strong character, which some people might think “stink”.
If you want to choose the right Gruyère, the AOP (Certificate of Protected Origin) will help you. AOP cheeses are recognized by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Agriculture as meeting strict production area, process and quality standards, and are classified into 3 classes with descending order of mildness: Dalpage (Alpage), Classic and Reserve.
35 kg of disk-shaped cheese is made from 400 liters of raw milk. During the ripening period, which can range from 5 months to 24 months for long ones, it is repeatedly turned over and washed with salt water. It’s the careful process that makes it so delicious.
Fondue in the village of Gruyères, which has a castle on a small hill!
Gruyère is the name of a village in the canton of Friborg in southern Switzerland, and the cheese native to that region is Gruyère cheese. Gruyères Castle is located on a small hill in Gruyères Village, and along the road leading to the castle there are restaurants serving cheese fondue.
A typical fondue recipe uses a 2:1 ratio of Gruyère and Emmental. This is the recipe most often found in recipe books. However, in fact, there are various combinations for each region, such as a recipe called Moitier Moitier (half and half), which is a combination of half Gruyère and half Vacherin cheese in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg, and in the Appenzell region Appenzeller cheese is added as an accent.
Fondue is made by dissolving cheese in white wine, so the drink that goes with it is basically white wine. When one drink beer, coca cola, etc., the cheese hardens in one’s stomach and it hurts, they say! Also, for the appetizer, choose a dry beef slice called Viande Seche (Bünnerfleisch in German)! There are various local rules, such as buying the group a bottle of wine if you drop the bread in the cheese.
Please enjoy the fondue in Switzerland.
