Bettelmatt Cheese

Bettelmatt (aka Battelmat) cheese is made in the European alps.

Bettelmatt tastes sweet at first when it is young, getting stronger and slightly bitter as it ages. The cheese is aged 3 to 4 months.

The cheese has a rough, chestnut-coloured, rind. Inside, the cheese’s colour ranges from straw yellow to gold, and the cheese has a slightly oily feel.

Compared to Emmenthal, the cheese has a softer texture, smaller holes in it, and a higher moisture content.

Production

Bettelmatt is made from raw milk from cows. The curd is heated at a lower temperature than that for other cheeses.

The cheeses are made in wheels ranging in size from 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 inches) wide, and 7 ½ to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) thick, weighing 18 to 36 kg (40 to 80 pounds). Smaller wheels are also made 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 inches) wide weighing 5 to 7 kg (11 to 15 ½ pounds).

Bettelmatt cheese is made in the St. Gothard Alps of Tessin Canton, Switzerland between July and September. It is also made north of Lake Maggiore in Val Formazza, Piedmont Italy, and western Austria.

In their forage, the cows in Piedmont eat, amongst other things, an herb the locals call “mottolina” ^[1]Mottolina: Ligusticum mutellina. Aka Mountain lovage / Alpine Lovage in English; Ligustique mutelline in French; Alpen-Liebstock / Alpen-Mutterwurz / Muttern in German. [/re], whose taste comes through in the cheese.

Nutrition

Bettelmatt cheese has 20 to 30 percent fat content.

Language Notes

Also spelled “Battelmat”.