Appenzeller is made from unpasteurized whole cow’s milk. The cheese is pressed and formed into wheels that are then bathed in a spiced brine made from wine or cider. After 3 or 4 months of maturing, they are dipped in the brine again. The cheese is generally aged a total of anywhere from 8 to…
Swiss Cheeses
Appenzeller Cheese (Quarter Fat)
In making this lower-fat version of Appenzeller Cheese, less water is added while making the cheese, and a lower cooking temperature is used for the curds. Different starter cultures reduce the speed of the fermentation, which in term lets more water remain in the cheese helping to replicate the body that people expected from full-fat…
Battelmatt Cheese
Battelmatt Cheese has a rough, chestnut-coloured, rind. Inside, the cheese’s colour ranges from straw yellow to gold. It is made from unpasteurized whole cows’ milk. The curd is heated at a lower temperature than that for other cheeses. Battelmatt Cheeses are made in wheels ranging in size from 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60…
Emmenthal Cheese
Emmenthal cheese is the famous Swiss cheese with the big holes in it. Partly-skimmed unpasteurized cow’s milk is heated to 31 C (89 F.) Rennet and starter bacteria are then added. The milk is let sit to curdle for half an hour. The curd is then cut into small pieces, heated slowly to 48 C…
Gruyère Cheese
Named after a Swiss village, Gruyère is a yellowish, hard cheese made in a large wheel shape from cow’s milk. On average, 105 US gallons (400 litres) of milk are used to make 1 wheel of the cheese. The raw milk is heated to 93 F (34 C), at which point Rennet is added. When…
Jarlsberg Cheese
Jarlsberg Cheese is a Norwegian version of Emmenthal cheese made from cow’s milk. It is a pale yellow colour with large holes, like Emmenthal, and has the same supple texture, but is milder in flavour. However, it is still a step up in taste from American Swiss cheese. It is less expensive than Emmenthal; more…
Kambera Cheese
Kambera Cheese is an Australian version of Jarlsberg or American Swiss.
Leerdammer Cheese
Leerdammer is a new cheese. Development of it started in 1976 by the Baars company; the product was launched in 1984. The cheese was designed to be an Emmenthal-type cheese that could challenge Emmenthal’s market share in Europe, particularly France. The cheese was named for the city the factory was in, Leerdam near Utrecht in…
Maasdam Cheese
Maasdam Cheese is a Swiss-style cheese produced in the Netherlands. Made from cow’s milk, it is aged for at least 4 weeks. It has a smooth yellow rind, which is sometimes waxed like Gouda. It is made in 13 and 26 pound (6 and 12 kg) wheels. Inside, the cheese is pale yellow and semi-firm…
Sapsago Cheese
Sapsago is a hard cheese used as a garnish or flavouring cheese. It can be grated on top of dishes, or blended into soft, fresh cheeses, or into butter, to make spreads. The cheese is sold in small 3 oz (85g) cone-shapes, wrapped in silver foil. Each cone is only about 2 inches (5 cm)…
Sbrinz Cheese
Sbrinz cheese is a Swiss cheese made from whole, raw cow’s milk. The milk is heated to 89 F (31.5 C), at which point starter bacteria and Calf Rennet is mixed in. After being allowed to curdle for 40 minutes, the curd is cut into large pieces, drained of its whey, then stirred and heated…
Swiss Cheese
Swiss Cheese © Denzil Green Swiss Cheese is a North American generic imitation of Emmenthal, just as Jarlsberg is a Norwegian version of Emmenthal. In the UK, and in Europe, “Swiss Cheese” has no meaning as a specific cheese. It would be like saying “1 pound of French cheese” — people would ask you which…
Swiss Fondue
Swiss Fondue © Denzil Green Swiss fondue is a heated cheese sauce into which boiled potatoes or chunks of leftover bread are dipped into the cheese sauce. The cheese sauce is often made from two cheeses, usually gruyère and Emmenthal, though in some areas of Switzerland, Vacherin cheese is used in place of both. Depending…
Tête de Moine Cheese
Tête de Moine is a cylinder-shaped Swiss cheese that is brine-washed while it is being aged 4 to 6 months. The inedible rind is orangey and sticky; inside, the cheese is a straw-yellow colour and has a spicy flavour. The cheese cylinders are 3 inches wide x 4 inches tall, weighing 2 pounds (8cm wide…
Vacherin Fribourgeois
Vacherin Fribourgeois is made from cow’s milk, either raw or pasteurized. Unpasteurized versions are sold in Europe; the pasteurized versions are sold to North America. Bacteria is added to the milk, then milk is heated to 100 F (38 C), and rennet is added. The curd is cut into large pieces, and the temperature raised…
Vacherin Mont d’Or
There is great confusion over what this soft-cheese is called. The cheese has been made since the early 1800s in an area of Europe just to the north of Lausanne, Switzerland and to the west of Neufchâtel, Switzerland. The border in that area went back and forth between France and Switzerland over the years, and…