![Marche-aux-puces-Lausanne-004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Marche-aux-puces-Lausanne-004.jpg)
Swiss-type cheeses, also known as Alpine cheeses, are a group of hard or semi-hard
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 production, ...
s with a distinct character, whose origins lie in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
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
Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German ' from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", '). T ...
.
[Donnelley, 3–5; Thorpe, 262–268; Oxford, 15–19] Traditionally the cheeses were made in large rounds or "wheels" with 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
The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dai ...
,
Gruyère and
Appenzeller, as well as the French
Beaufort Beaufort may refer to:
People and titles
* Beaufort (surname)
* House of Beaufort, English nobility
* Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England
* Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility
Places Polar regions ...
and
Comté (from the
Jura Mountains
The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...
, near the Alps). Both countries have many other traditional varieties, as do the Alpine regions of Austria (
Alpkäse) and Italy (
Asiago
Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in ...
), though these have not achieved the same degree of intercontinental fame.
Jarlsberg cheese
Jarlsberg ( , ) is a mild cheese made from cow's milk, with large, regular eyes, originating from Jarlsberg, Norway. It is produced in Norway, as well as in Ireland and the US state of Ohio, licensed from Norwegian dairy producers. It is classi ...
originated in 19th-century Norway and is made using similar methods to Emmental.
Maasdam cheese
Maasdam cheese () is an Emmental-style Dutch cheese. Made from cow's milk, it is aged for at least four weeks. It ripens faster than other cheeses made in the Netherlands. Maasdam has internal voids, or holes from the ripening process, and a smo ...
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 Swiss cheese may refer to:
Cheese
* List of Swiss cheeses (from Switzerland)
* Swiss-type cheeses or Alpine cheeses, a class of cooked pressed cheeses now made in many countries
* Swiss cheese (North America), any of several related varieties o ...
". However, in Switzerland itself more Gruyère 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.
![Schafrügg Arosa Südosten](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Schafr%C3%BCgg_Arosa_S%C3%BCdosten.jpg)
Technically, Swiss-type cheeses are "cooked", meaning made using
thermophilic
A thermophile is an organism—a type of extremophile—that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between . Many thermophiles are archaea, though they can be bacteria or fungi. Thermophilic eubacteria are suggested to have been among the earl ...
lactic
fermentation starter
A fermentation starter (called simply starter within the corresponding context, sometimes called a mother) is a preparation to assist the beginning of the fermentation process in preparation of various foods and alcoholic drinks. Food groups wh ...
s, incubating the curd with a period at a high temperature of 45°C or more. Since they are later pressed to expel excess moisture, 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 the ''
Appellation d'origine protégée
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...
'' in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, often covering the permitted breeds of cow, pastures, location and method of making, period of maturation, as well as details of their
food chemistry
Food chemistry is the study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non-biological components of foods. The biological substances include such items as meat, poultry, lettuce, beer, milk as examples. It is similar to biochemist ...
. 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 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
Pasteurization American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mi ...
milk.
Cheesemaking
![Fromagerie gruyères-caillage-4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Fromagerie_gruy%C3%A8res-caillage-4.jpg)
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
Cantal cheese is an uncooked firm cheese produced in the Auvergne region of central France: more particularly in the ''département'' of Cantal (named after the Cantal mountains) as well as in certain adjoining districts. Cantal cheese was gran ...
in the
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...
region of France, took a different approach, with much less heat, more salt, and more pressing. This became used for
Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. Cheddar originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset.
Ched ...
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 is at around . 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 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
''Propionibacterium freudenreichii'' is a gram-positive, non-motile bacterium that plays an important role in the creation of Emmental cheese, and to some extent, Jarlsberg cheese, Leerdammer and Maasdam cheese. Its concentration in Swiss-ty ...
'' subspecies ''shermanii''. It is this that produces the gases, including
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
, 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 is often made in
stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
, 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.
History
![Chalet d'alpage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Chalet_d%27alpage.jpg)
According to the ''
Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...
'', the Roman emperor
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius (Latin: ''Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius''; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty.
Born into a senatoria ...
fell ill and died in 161 after eating a large quantity of "Alpine cheese" ("cum Alpinum caseum in cena edisset avidius") at
Lorium
Lorium was an ancient village of ancient Etruria, Italy, along the Via Aurelia, 19 km west of Rome. The 15th emperor of the Roman Empire, Antoninus Pius, who was educated here, afterwards built a palace, in which he died. It was also a favor ...
, 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
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
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 the largest was the
Abbey of Saint Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot w ...
in Switzerland, which owned much of the
Appenzell
Appenzell is a historic canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen.
Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered a league with the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1411, ...
region from the 10th century on.
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey (german: Kloster Muri) is a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Zürich, Switzerland. It is currently established as Muri-Gries in Sout ...
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
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
, on 30 November. Typically, about a dozen households combined their herds for the summer season, appointing a head cowman, and constructing high
chalet
A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...
s to make cheese in.
The very hard Italian "grana" cheeses are regarded as a related group; the best known are
Parmesan
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...
and
Grana Padano
Grana Padano is a cheese originating in the Po river Valley in northern Italy that is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There are less strict regulations governing its production compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. This hard, crumbly- textur ...
. Although their origins lie in the flat and (originally) swampy
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...
, they share the broad Alpine cheesemaking process, and began after local monasteries initiated drainage programmes from the 11th century onwards. These were
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
and
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
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
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
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
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, which swept Switzerland if not other Alpine regions, removed the monastic landlords, and also some restrictions on eating cheese during
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
(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.
[Oxford, 16–17]
Cheesemaking gallery
Some of the stages in the traditional cheesemaking process of French
Beaufort cheese
Beaufort () is a firm, raw cow's milk cheese associated with the gruyère family. An Alpine cheese, it is produced in Beaufortain, Tarentaise valley and Maurienne, which are located in the Savoie region of the French Alps.
Varieties
There are ...
, which would be very similar in other "cooked pressed" Alpine cheeses.
File:Fabrication du Beaufort (2).jpg, Adding the starter
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(4).jpg, Reheating milk.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(5).jpg, Milk curdling.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(6).jpg, "Scaling", stirring with a set of wires to cut the curd
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(11).jpg, Heating and stirring.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(21).jpg, Mass of curd removed in linen cloth.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(22).jpg, Putting into the beech wood mould.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(29).jpg, Moulding in a circle of beech wood.
Fabrication_du_Beaufort_(33).jpg, Pressing to expel more moisture.
Beaufort_dans_la_cave_de_la_coopérative_laitière_de_Moûtiers_(2).jpg, Ripening of Beaufort.
Notes
References
*
Donnelley, Catherine W. (ed), ''Cheese and Microbes'', 2014, ASM Press, , 9781555818593
google books*Fox, P.H., ed., ''Fundamentals of Cheese Science'', 2000, Springer Science & Business Media, , 9780834212602
google books*Gruyère
"Gruyère"(in French) in the ''Kulinarisches Erbe der Schweiz''
*Kinstedt, Paul, ''Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its Place in Western Civilization'', 2012, Chelsea Green Publishing, , 9781603584128
google books*Lortal, Sylvie, "Cheeses made with Thermophilic Lactic Starters", Chapter 16 in ''Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology'', 2004, CRC Press, , 9780203913550
google books
*"Oxford":
Donnelley, Catherine W. (ed), ''The Oxford Companion to Cheese'', 2016, Oxford University Press, , 9780199330881
google books
*Thorpe, Liz, ''The Book of Cheese: The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheeses You'll Love'', 2017, Flatiron Books, {{ISBN, 1250063469, 9781250063465
google books
Types of cheese
*
French cheeses
Austrian cheeses