Area: Gruyère, Switzerland
Milk: raw cow milk
Type: cooked pressed cheese
Weight: 35 kg
Fat: 33 %
Maturing time: 5 to 24 months
Tasting advice
Gruyere can be added grated in many traditional meals such as gratins, quiches or pastas.
Wine-pairing
Perfectly matches with a Gewurztraminer from Alsace.
Appearance: Ivory color
Texture: Firm, not humid
Sense of smell: smell of amonia
Taste: Sweet but salty
History
First of all, remember that the real Gruyère is Swiss and has no hole. French people have taken the bad habit of calling their Emmental by the name of Gruyere.
The production area is located in Gruyère, in the region of the Canton of Friborg, the historical capital of Gruyère, founded by the Counts-Pasteurs.
The Swiss cheese production area of Gruyère includes the cantons of Friborg, Vaud, Neufchâtel and Jura, as well as the arrondissements of Courtelary, Neveville and Moutier in the Canton of Berne.
Fabrication
After heating the milk at low temperature, around 32 ° C, the ferments and the rennet are added and the temperature maintained until curdling. Once the milk has curdled, the cheese maker will cut it with the "curd slice" until small grains are obtained. These small grains will form the cheese, and the rest of the product of the coagulation forms the whey intended for pigs. This mixture continues to heat a few minutes before the cheese maker raises the temperature to 56 ° C where it remains for about 50 minutes.
At this stage, between the first and the following pressings, the marking takes place by the installation of a small casein label. The marking consists in establishing for the consumer the identity card of the cheese.
The next day, after the pressing, a veterinary sampling can be done randomly.
The cheeses are then immersed in a bath of brine with 20% salt for twenty-four hours. The setting in the cellar begins with a daily and weekly salting for a period ranging from eight to twenty-four months according to a young or old cheese.
Société
