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41-459: Gruyère is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese and is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavour that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy, and complex as it matures. When fully aged (five months to a year), it tends to have small cracks that impart a slightly grainy texture. Unlike Emmental , with which it is often confused, modern Gruyère has few if any eyes , although in

82-483: A cooperative in 1932, and the first cheese cellars were built in 1934. The French Le Brouère cheese, made in nearby Vosges , is considered a variant of Gruyère. Γραβιέρα ( graviera ) is a popular Greek cheese which resembles Gruyère and is an EU Protected Designation of Origin . There are Naxian varieties (produced from cow's milk) that tend to be milder and sweeter, and various gravieras from Crete , which are produced from sheep's milk. Kars gravyer cheese

123-414: A fat in dry matter (FDM) around 45%. The rind is usually a dusty-brown colour, and the internal paste, pâte , is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is mild and slightly sweet. Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into large copper vats where it is gently warmed. Each cheese requires up to 600 litres (160  US gal ) of milk. Rennet is added, causing

164-649: A trademark in the United States. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed that decision in March 2023. Swiss Gruyère still has a protected certification mark in the US as "Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC", secured in 2013. The FDA standards of identity for a "§ 133.149 Gruyere cheese" requires "small holes or eyes". Gruyere (as a Swiss AOC) has many varieties with different age profiles, and an organic version of

205-511: A cheese of intense flavour. Sérac , a whey cheese, is a historical by-product of the manufacture of Gruyère. An important and the longest part of the production of Gruyère in Switzerland is the affinage (French for 'maturation'). According to the AOC, the cellars to mature a Swiss Gruyère must have a climate close to a natural cave. This means that the humidity should be between 94% and 98%. If

246-458: A dozen households combined their herds for the summer season, appointing a head cowman, and constructing high chalets to make cheese in. The very hard Italian "grana" cheeses are regarded as a related group; the best known are Parmesan and Grana Padano . Although their origins lie in the flat and (originally) swampy Po Valley , they share the broad Alpine cheesemaking process, and began after local monasteries initiated drainage programmes from

287-462: A green casein label with the recognizable logo of a green bell, and are called Comté Extra. Those cheeses scoring from 12 to 14 points are given a brown label and are called simply Comté. Any cheese scoring only 1 or 2 points for taste (out of the possible 9), or scoring below 12 overall, is prohibited from using the Comté name and is sold for other purposes. Comté is well known for its distinct terroir : it

328-721: A hard rind, and were robust enough for both keeping and transporting. The best-known cheeses of the type, all made from cow's milk, include the Swiss Emmental , Gruyère and Appenzeller , as well as the French Beaufort and Comté (from the Jura Mountains , near the Alps). Both countries have many other traditional varieties, as do the Alpine regions of Austria ( Alpkäse ) and Italy ( Asiago and Montasio ), though these have not achieved

369-499: A large quantity of "Alpine cheese" ("cum Alpinum caseum in cena edisset avidius") at Lorium , near Rome. What the character of this cheese was is impossible to say, but it was evidently capable of being transported several hundred miles. There is evidence that, in the Middle Ages , Alpine cheesemaking was encouraged by local monasteries who owned large tracts of little-used Alpine land, and took cheese as tithes, in effect rent. One of

410-524: A pea to a cherry", a significant departure from the Swiss original. Peter Ungphakorn, a Swiss local and an international trade expert, comments that the French Comté cheese could be a closer match to the Swiss version. In 2021, a U.S. District Court ruled that the term "gruyere" had become a generic term for a certain type of cheese, and Swiss and French Gruyère producers' associations could not register it as

451-596: Is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine. Comté has the highest production of all French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) cheeses, at around 65,000 tonnes (72,000 short tons) annually. It is classified as an Alpine cheese. The cheese is made in discs, each between 40 and 70 cm (16 and 28 inches) in diameter, and around 10 cm (4 inches) in height. Each disc weighs up to 50 kg (110 lb) with

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492-473: Is a Turkish cheese made of cow's milk or a mixture of cow's and goat's milk. Gruyère-style cheeses are also produced in the United States, with Wisconsin having the largest output, and in Bosnia under the name Livanjski sir ( Livno cheese). Swiss-type cheeses Swiss-type cheeses , also known as Alpine cheeses , are a group of hard or semi-hard cheeses with a distinct character, whose origins lie in

533-609: Is also protected as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the EU. To avoid confusion, the EU PGI Gruyère must indicate that it comes from France and must make sure it cannot be confused with Gruyère from Switzerland. It, therefore, is generally sold as "French Gruyère". French Gruyère may be produced in an area much larger than the Swiss AOP area. The PGI documentation also requires that French Gruyère has holes "ranging in size from that of

574-424: Is at around 2,800 metres (9,200 ft). Cheese was made during this period, and mostly stored before bringing down in autumn. Often the same cows and herders made a different kind of cheese from winter milk, and protected varieties may require summer (or winter) milk. The Alpine process introduced three innovations. Firstly "the curd was cut into small particles to facilitate whey expulsion", now done by stirring

615-457: Is consumed, and in continental Europe Gruyère, a name with a considerably longer history, tends to be thought of as the archetypal Swiss cheese, with for example "Gruyère de Comté" being another name for Comté. Technically, Swiss-type cheeses are "cooked", meaning made using thermophilic lactic fermentation starters , incubating the curd with a period at a high temperature of 45°C or more. Since they are later pressed to expel excess moisture,

656-434: Is cooked at 43 °C (109 °F), and raised quickly to 54 °C (129 °F). The whey is strained, and the curds placed into moulds to be pressed. After salting in brine and smearing with bacteria , the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature, generally on wooden boards, turning every couple of days to ensure even moisture distribution. Gruyère can be cured for 3 to 10 months, with long curing producing

697-403: Is made in 160 village-based fruitières (cheese-making facilities) in the region, owned by farmers who bring milk from their own cows; strict production rules linking place and product; and the seasonal environmental effects. Comté cheeses go through the process of "jury terroir", where panels of trained volunteer tasters from Comté supply chain and from the region discuss and publish bi-monthly in

738-582: Is often made in stainless steel , especially in North America, where the use of copper is outlawed. This has been suggested as one factor in the failure of North American cheeses to achieve the levels of flavour of the Alpine originals. In some places specific old copper vats can be "grandfathered" in. According to the Historia Augusta , the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius fell ill and died in 161 after eating

779-527: Is this that produces the gases, including carbon dioxide , which produce the holes or "eyes" in the cheese. These were generally regarded as a fault if they were large, until 19th-century makers of Emmental began to encourage them, a brilliant stroke from the marketing point of view. On the other hand, Gruyère used to have larger holes than it does now. Traditional Alpine cheeses are made in copper (or at least copper-lined) vats or "kettles", which are mandatory for many protected varieties, but industrial cheese

820-430: Is used, grated, atop le tourin , a garlic soup from France served on dried bread. White wines, such as Riesling , pair well with Gruyère. Sparkling cider and Bock beer are also beverage affinities. To make Gruyère, raw cow's milk is heated to 34 °C (93 °F) in a copper vat, and then curdled by the addition of liquid rennet . The curd is cut up into pea-sized pieces and stirred, releasing whey . The curd

861-511: The Appellation d'origine protégée in Switzerland , often covering the permitted breeds of cow, pastures, location and method of making, period of maturation, as well as details of their food chemistry . Most global modern production is industrial, with little control of these. This is usually made in rectangular blocks, and by wrapping in plastic no rind is allowed to form. Historical production

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902-518: The Alps of Europe, although they are now eaten and imitated in most cheesemaking parts of the world. Their distinct character arose from the requirements of cheese made in the summer on high Alpine grasslands ( alpage in French), and then transported with the cows down to the valleys in the winter, in the historic culture of Alpine transhumance . Traditionally the cheeses were made in large rounds or "wheels" with

943-506: The Auvergne region of France, took a different approach, with much less heat, more salt, and more pressing. This became used for Cheddar cheese and other similar English varieties. Alpine cheeses are made to be aged, typically at least for a few months, but often much more. The cows reached the high slopes by about May, and remained until about October. Often they moved in stages as the snow retreated. The highest alpage suitable for grazing

984-599: The 11th century onwards. These were Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries, both with sister-houses benefiting from Alpine cheesemaking. They seem to have borrowed their techniques from them, but produced very different cheeses, using much more salt, and less heating, which suited the local availability of materials. The Black Death in the mid-14th century hit the Alps hard, and promoted an increase in grazing with cows rather than sheep or goats. The Protestant Reformation , which swept Switzerland if not other Alpine regions, removed

1025-569: The 19th century, this was not always the case. The small cracks that can develop in Gruyère cheese are often referred to as "eyes." These eyes are round or irregularly shaped holes that are formed during the aging process. It is the most popular Swiss cheese in Switzerland, and in most of Europe. Gruyère is used in many ways in countless dishes. It is considered a good cheese for baking, because of its distinctive but not overpowering taste. For example in quiche , Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing

1066-496: The AOC. Le Gruyère Premier Cru is a special variety, produced and matured exclusively in the canton of Fribourg and matured for 14 months in cellars with a humidity of 95% and a temperature of 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). It is the only cheese that has won the title of the best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards five times: in 1992, 2002, 2005, 2015, and 2022. L'Etivaz is a very similar Swiss hard cheese from

1107-435: The canton of Vaud. It is made from raw cow's milk and is very similar to aged Gruyère in taste. In the 1930s, a group of 76 Gruyère producing families felt that government regulations were allowing cheesemakers to compromise the qualities that made good Gruyère so special. They withdrew from the government's Gruyère program, and "created" their own cheese - L'Etivaz - named for the village around which they all lived. They founded

1148-547: The cheese is also sold. A special variety is produced only in summer in the Swiss Alps and is branded as Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC Alpage. Generally, one can distinguish the age profiles of mild/ doux (minimum five months old) and réserve , also known as surchoix (minimum ten months old). In Switzerland, other age profiles can be found, including mi-salé (7–8 months), salé (9–10 months), vieux (14 months), and Höhlengereift (cave aged), but these age profiles are not part of

1189-461: The cheese with a "cheese harp", a set of metal wires (in French tranche-caillé or lyre ). Other types of cheese cut the curd, but not into such small particles. Then the curds were "cooked at high temperatures" and pressed, both reducing the moisture content. The low acidity and salt helps the growth of particular bacteria, especially Propionibacterium freudenreichii subspecies shermanii . It

1230-606: The first cheeses to receive AOC recognition in 1958, with full regulations introduced in 1976. The AOC regulations for Comté prescribe: In 2005, the French Government registered 175 producers and 188 affineurs (agers) in France. Each cheese is awarded a score out of 20 by inspectors: the highest possible scores are 1 point for overall appearance, 1.5 for quality of rind, 3.5 for internal appearance, 5 for texture, and 9 for taste. Those cheeses scoring higher than 14 points are given

1271-584: The group are also described as "'cooked pressed cheeses'", fromages à pâte pressée cuite in French. Most varieties have few if any holes or "eyes", or holes that are much smaller than the large holes found in some Emmental or its imitations. The general eating characteristics of the cheeses are a firm but still elastic texture, flavour that is not sharp, acidic or salty, but rather nutty and buttery. When melted, which they often are in cooking, they are "gooey", and "slick, stretchy and runny". A number of traditional types have legally controlled standards, for example

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1312-412: The humidity is lower, the cheese dries out. If the humidity is too high, the cheese does not mature and becomes smeary and gluey. The temperature of the caves should be between 13 and 14 °C (55 and 57 °F). This relatively high temperature is required for excellent-quality cheese. Lower-quality cheeses result from temperatures between 10 and 12 °C (50 and 54 °F). The lower the temperature,

1353-569: The largest was the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland, which owned much of the Appenzell region from the 10th century on. Muri Abbey was founded in 1027 with a large donation of Alpine wilderness, which it settled by offering a starter pack of equipment and animals to peasant families. Cheesemaking soon became an important part of the new local economy, with the tithe cheeses delivered to the abbey each Feast of Saint Andrew , on 30 November. Typically, about

1394-485: The less the cheese matures, resulting in a harder and more crumbly texture. In 2001, Gruyère gained the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (now designated Appellation d'origine protégée ) status. Since then, the production and the maturation have been strictly defined, and all Swiss Gruyère producers must follow these rules. Although Gruyère is recognised as a Swiss Geographical Indication in the EU, Gruyère of French origin

1435-498: The milk to coagulate (curdle). The curds are then cut into tiny white grains that are the size of rice or wheat which are then stirred before being heated again for around 30 minutes. The contents are then placed into moulds and the whey is pressed out. After several hours the mould is opened and left to mature in cellars, first for a few weeks at the dairy, and then over several months elsewhere. The manufacture of Comté has been controlled by AOC regulations since it became one of

1476-533: The monastic landlords, and also some restrictions on eating cheese during Lent (although these already did not apply north of the Alps). By the 16th century Alpine cheeses were becoming significant export products, and were found to cope well with long intercontinental sea voyages. Some of the stages in the traditional cheesemaking process of French Beaufort cheese , which would be very similar in other "cooked pressed" Alpine cheeses. Comt%C3%A9 cheese Comté ( French pronunciation: [kɔ̃te] )

1517-437: The newsletter Les Nouvelles de Comté about the taste and their results. This jury terroir was created by Florence Bérodier, a food scientist, to elaborate in response to a set of formidable challenges that Comté cheese underwent in the beginning for its unfamiliar taste and smell. "The jury terroir is there to speak of all the richness in the tastes of a Comté…" – the original member confirmed. For Comté cheese to be world-renowned,

1558-529: The other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, particularly suited for fondues , along with Vacherin Fribourgeois and Emmental . It is also traditionally used in French onion soup , as well as in croque-monsieur , a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich . Gruyère is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu . It is a fine table cheese , and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas . It

1599-401: The quality improved, but the challenge stand still to create a uniform taste, which was impossible to achieve since there were 160 different fruitières specializing. But through the process of jury terroir, people came to focus on communication among the tasters, which improved their ability to perceive and gained in value. They acquired a general culture that enabled them to describe and exchange

1640-424: The same degree of intercontinental fame. Jarlsberg cheese originated in 19th-century Norway and is made using similar methods to Emmental. Maasdam cheese is a Dutch version, devised in the late 20th century. All of these are widely exported. In North America and some other areas outside Europe, Emmental is the best known, and is commonly called simply " Swiss cheese ". However, in Switzerland itself more Gruyère

1681-444: Was all with "raw" milk, although the periods of high heat in making largely controlled unwelcome bacteria, but modern production may use thermized or pasteurized milk. The cheesemaking process reflects the needs of Alpine transhumant makers. At the high summer slopes timber to "cook" the cheese was abundant, but salt had to be carried up, and was expensive, so little is used compared to many other cheese types. Cantal cheese in

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