Emmentaler cheese
Emmentaler is the name of the traditional cheese from Switzerland.
Yes, the cheese with the holes.
Emmentaler owes its name to the valley of the River Emme in the Bern canton. Historians trace its production to the 13th century.
The best Emmentaler cheese carries the initials “AOP.” This stands for “Appellation d’Origine Protégée,” or “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO) in English.
To qualify for the AOP designation, milk for Emmentaler cheese must be sourced from the same region the cheese is both made and matured.
The Swiss produce Emmentaler AOP in roughly 111 village creameries in the region from fresh, untreated milk. By AOP law, the cows can eat only grass and hay.
Production of Emmentaler Cheese
It requires 12 liters of milk to make one kilogram of cheese. Workers mold the cheese into wheels for aging. Each wheel measures between 80 to 100 centimeters and weighs anywhere from 75 to 125 kilograms.
Workers mark the cheese with a unique code. This helps the manufacturer trace the origin of the milk back to the supplier.
Given all the tender loving care in its production, along with the hefty size of the cheese wheels, the Swiss call Emmentaler AOP “The King of Cheese.”
During the first aging phase, workers mature the cheese for six to eight weeks in the boiler room of the cheese factory.
Afterwards workers transport the cheese to the storage cellars for two or four weeks.
Then in the last phase of the maturation, the cheese wheels are stored in cellars.
Cheese workers (called) regularly turn and check to see if the cheeses are aging correctly.
By law, the cheese matures for at least four months, with a name and associated taste for each additional period of aging. At four months, the cheese is mild and slightly nutty. A classic.
At eight months of aging, the cheese is fruity and called “Réserve.”
At twelve months, the Emmentaler AOP cheese is full-flavored and referred to as “cave-matured.”
I enjoy Emmentaler AOP alone with sliced apples, or in an omelet! Of course, the Swiss have the right idea by melting it for fondue – a romantic classic!
Wine Pairing with Emmentaler AOP
I prepared an omelet with the Emmentaler AOP cheese. That first time, I paired it with a Burgundian Chardonnay I had on hand.
Yet I also tested it with a dry German Riesling – fantastic! The best match overall was Vin Jaune, a deliberately oxidized wine from the Jura region in nearby Burgundy.
You can have fun tasting this Emmentaler cheese with different wines in a tasting kit. The cheese will also pair well with wine from Austria.
The Showcase Emmentaler AOP Dairy in Affoltern
Affoltern is the principal town for the production of Emmentaler AOP cheese. You can visit the main Affoltern dairy and observe the production firsthand.
Or you can drive along the Emmental Cheese Route. Here you will see local agriculture, charming country inns and other places of interest.
Aside from a car, you can also travel this cheese route on foot, on a bike, public transport, or in a horse-drawn carriage.
Emmentaler – the King of Cheese. And a noble reason to visit Switzerland.
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