Vorarlberger Bergkäse (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for 'Vorarlberg mountain cheese') is a regional cheese specialty from the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

state of

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...

. It is protected within the framework of the European designation of origin (PDO). Kufstein_Almabtrieb_2005

Characteristics

Vorarlberger Bergkäse matures for 3 to 6 months, some even for up to 2 years and longer. It has a typical round loaf shape with a

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...

of around 55 to 65 cm and a weight of up to 35 kg. The Bregenzerwald Bergkäse has small holes that are considered a quality feature. The aroma ranges from mild to spicy, the taste is nutty and has typical herbal notes. The fat content is 45% i. Tr. (" in der Trockenmasse").

Production

Vorarlberger Bergkäse is made exclusively from natural

raw milk Raw milk or unpasteurized milk is milk that has not undergone pasteurization, a process of heating liquid foods to kill pathogens for safe consumption and extension of shelf life. Proponents of raw milk have alleged numerous purported benefits t ...

in accordance with the specifications that were defined for the protection of the term and only in alpine dairies in the

Bregenz Forest The Bregenzerwald (, ) is one of the main regions in the States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg (Austria). It overlaps, but is not coterminous with, the Bregenz Forest Mountains, which belong to a mountain range, range of the Northern Limestone A ...

, in the

Großwalsertal The Großes Walsertal () is a valley located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a side valley of the Walgau and stretches from there north to the mountainous center of the country. The end of the valley borders on the Bregenz Forest. Et ...

and in the

Kleinwalsertal Kleinwalsertal is a valley in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg and part of the Bregenz district. It includes the municipality of Mittelberg and consists of three villages along the River Breitach. Due to the geographic location in the All ...

, in the Leiblachtal (Pfänderstock), and in the

Rhine Valley Rhine Valley (German: ''Rheintal'' ) is the valley, or any section of it, of the river Rhine in Europe. Particular valleys of the Rhine or any of its sections: * Alpine Rhine Valley ** Chur Rhine Valley (or Grisonian Rhine Valley; , or sometimes ...

Traditional agriculture

In the Bregenz Forest, the centuries-old management of pastures (

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", '). ...

) is still practiced. It means that the cows are kept on pastures at different heights on the mountains depending on the season so that the cows get fresh feed on the mountain pastures between May and October, while the valley meadows provide the hay for the winter. "Silo feeding" is therefore not necessary. The milk is then processed directly in the mountain alps in summer and used to make

Alpkäse Alpkäse () is a type of cheese made with cow's milk in the Alpine region (Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany). It is classified as a Swiss-type cheeses, Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. The first written mentions of the alpkäse cheese from B ...

, while from the beginning of October to the end of May the milk is processed into

Bergkäse for, de, Bergkäse, mountain cheese refers to a number of varieties of cheese produced in the Alps. This includes products of mountain farming, the cultivation of alpine pastures as well as the milk processing of local producers in dairies. The ...

Quality control

The production of Vorarlberger Bergkäse may only take place by means of manual production using traditional methods. Strict quality regulations apply to the raw milk used: Only farms with predominantly

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

farming without

silage Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...

production or feeding ("

hay milk Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

") are allowed to provide milk for Vorarlberger Bergkäse. This must also be delivered to the dairy at least once a day and processed there immediately.

History

The production of cheese has a long tradition in the

. The

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

first brought the region into contact with livestock and alpine agriculture. They used alpine pastures and already practiced professional Alpine cheese making. However, until the second half of the 17th century, mainly sour cheese was made. After the end of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648), herdsmen from the neighboring canton of

Appenzell Appenzell () was a cantons of Switzerland, canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

came to the Bregenz Forest. They brought the art of so-called "fat senning" with them and taught it to the Bregenz Forest farmers. By fat senning, the milk is not skimmed, but cheese is made from the whole milk. This is how

hard cheese There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criter ...

is made. The fat senning in Vorarlberg resulted in the emergence of Vorarlberger Bergkäse. Only natural

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...

is used. In the middle of the 18th century, so much

was being produced in

that it was no longer possible to sell it in Vorarlberg alone, so that it was professionally organised and sold mainly to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Cheese production in recent times

With the aim to support and preserve the local dairy production and the traditional agricultural heritage, the Bregenz Forest Cheese Route was founded in 1998. It is an organisation which connects farmers, traders and craftsmen. Along the cheese route, visitors are invited to watch the cheese production process and participate in culinary tastings.

References

{{Austrian cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses Austrian cheeses Vorarlberg Austrian products with protected designation of origin Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union