Vacherin Fribourgeois made from raw milk. Tombat24 / wikimedia / 2013 / CC BY-SA 3.0
Vacherin Fribourgeois is either ivory coloured or light straw-yellow, depending on the time of year it was made and on whether raw milk or pasteurized milk was used. It has a mild, nutty, slightly-acidic taste somewhat like Gruyère, but with a sharper edge owing to a longer aging period.
One traditional Swiss fondue mix is half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois.
Production
By European law, Vacherin Fribourgeois is only allowed to be made in the western Swiss canton of Fribourg.
It 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 38 C (100 F), and rennet is added. The curd is cut into large pieces, and the temperature raised to 43 C (110 F). The whey is allowed to drain off, then the cheese is placed in moulds, lightly pressed, rinsed with salted water and set aside to mature. While the wheels are maturing, they are turned and brushed with salted water again. They are aged for a minimum of two years.
When mature, the cheese will be semi-soft, with the wheels about 7.5 cm tall and 35 cm across (3 inches x 14 inches), and weighing about 7.5 kg (17 pounds). The rind will be a brownish-red.
Nutrition
The cheese will have a fat content between 45 % and 50% fat.
Literature & Lore
“Vacherin” in French means “from a cow”.
Vacherin fribourgeois. Thomon / wikimedia / 2022 / CC BY-SA 4.0