Emmental cheese

Last updated
Emmental
Emmentaler Premier Cru.jpg
Other namesEmmenthal, Emmentaler, Emmenthaler [1]
Country of origin Switzerland
Source of milk Cow
PasteurizedNot traditionally
TextureMedium-hard
Aging time2–18 months depending on variety
CertificationSome varieties
Named after Emmental
Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the Emme valley, Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type cheese.

Contents

History

Emmental cheese is "true" Swiss cheese; i.e. it originates from the Emme valley, Switzerland. [2]

It has a savory but mild taste. While "Emmentaler" is registered as a geographical indication in Switzerland, a limited number of countries recognize the term as a geographical indication: similar cheeses of other origins, especially from France (as Emmental), [3] the Netherlands, [4] Bavaria, and Finland, are widely available and sold by that name. In some parts of the world, the names "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are used interchangeably for Emmental-style cheese.

Production

Three types of bacteria are needed to prepare Emmental: Streptococcus thermophilus , Lactobacillus helveticus , and Propionibacterium freudenreichii . Historically, the holes were a sign of imperfection, and until modern times, cheese makers would try to avoid them. [5] Nowadays, however, eye formation is valued as a sign of maturation and quality and acoustic analysis has been developed for this purpose. [6] Emmental cheese is usually consumed cold, as chunks or slices, [7] and is also used in a variety of dishes, particularly in gratins, and fondue, in which it is mixed with Gruyère, the other highly popular Swiss cheese.

Ziger, a whey cheese, is a by-product of the manufacture of Emmental. [8]

Dairy cows in the Emmental region Cow Herd.jpg
Dairy cows in the Emmental region
Old production facility Schaukaserei Emmental, Affoltern.jpg
Old production facility
Emmental being produced in a modern facility Emmental Production.jpg
Emmental being produced in a modern facility

Protected varieties and nomenclature

Several varieties of Emmental are registered as geographical indications, including:

Switzerland

Eighteen-month-old raw milk Emmentaler AOC Selection Rolf Beeler Emmental.jpg
Eighteen-month-old raw milk Emmentaler AOC

Emmentaler was registered in 2000 as an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in Switzerland. [9] [10] [11] In 2013, it was replaced by the appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) certification. The Emmentaler produced according to the AOC-registration needs to be produced in small rural dairies with raw cow's milk, adding only natural ingredients (water, salt, natural starter cultures and rennet); preservatives or ingredients from genetically modified organisms are not allowed. The cheese is produced in a round shape with a natural rind, and aged in traditional cellars for a minimum of four months. Emmentaler must be produced in Kantons Aargau, Bern (except Amtsbezirk Moutier), Glarus, Luzern, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Zug or Zürich, or in the See- and Sensebezirk of Kanton Freiburg. [12]

Emmentaler is also recognized as a geographical indication in the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Jamaica, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Spain. [13]

Outside Switzerland

Emmental de Savoie from France Emmental de Savoie.jpg
Emmental de Savoie from France

Three cheeses containing the word Emmental are protected under EU law:

In many parts of the English-speaking world the terms "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are both used to refer to any cheese of the Emmental type, whether produced in Switzerland or elsewhere. The United States Department of Agriculture, for example, uses the terms "Swiss cheese" and "Emmentaler cheese" interchangeably. [17] [18]

Emmental-style cheeses

Emmental cheese is very widely imitated around the world, often just called "Swiss cheese". Specific European types include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gruyère cheese</span> Swiss medium-hard Alpine cheese

Gruyère is a hard Swiss cheese that originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, and Berne in Switzerland. It is named after the town of Gruyères in Fribourg. In 2001, Gruyère gained the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), which became the appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) as of 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union</span> Protected names and designations of agricultural products and foodstuffs

Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect names of agricultural products and foodstuffs, wines and spirits. Products registered under one of the three schemes may be marked with the logo for that scheme to help identify those products. The schemes are based on the legal framework provided by the EU Regulation No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. This regulation applies within the EU as well as in Northern Ireland. Protection of the registered products is gradually expanded internationally via bilateral agreements between the EU and non-EU countries. It ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed to be identified as such in commerce. The legislation first came into force in 1992. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods, promote rural and agricultural activity, help producers obtain a premium price for their authentic products, and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of different flavour. Critics argue that many of the names, sought for protection by the EU, have become commonplace in trade and should not be protected.

<i>Denominazione di origine controllata</i> Quality assurance label for Italian wine products

The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spätzle</span> Type of noodles

Spätzle ( ), or nokedli in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg noodles typically served as a side for meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated with Swabia and Alsace, it is also found in the cuisines of southern Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Hungary, Vojvodina, Slovenia, Lorraine, Moselle, and South Tyrol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sbrinz</span> Swiss hard or very hard cheese

Sbrinz is a very hard cheese produced in Central Switzerland. It is often used as grated cheese in Swiss cuisine, although it is also eaten in small pieces. The cheese is produced in only 42 dairies in Central Switzerland. Only local cow's milk is used when producing this cheese. It is kept in the region until ready for consumption. It is the hardest of Swiss cheeses together with Berner Hobelkäse.

<i>Appellation dorigine contrôlée</i> French protected geographic appellation

In France, the appellation d'origine contrôlée is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how. The specificity of an AOC product is determined by the combination of a physical and biological environment with established production techniques transmitted within a human community. Together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.

Vin délimité de qualité supérieure, usually abbreviated as VDQS, was the second highest category of French wine, below appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in rank, but above vin de pays. VDQS was sometimes written as AOVDQS, with AO standing for appellation d'origine. VDQS wines were subject to restrictions on yield and vine variety, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French wine</span> Wine making in France

French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and American wine-producing regions. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BCE, with many of France's regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines of the post-war period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergkäse</span>

Bergkäse refers to a number of varieties of cheese produced in the Alps. This includes products of mountain farming, the cultivation of alpine pastures as well as the milk processing of local producers in dairies. The term does not say much about the type or production method of the product called mountain cheese, which is usually a hard or semi-hard cheese with no or little holes, usually with a natural rind, but there are also semi-hard cheeses and soft cheeses under this designation. The term is used also generically for Swiss-type or Alpine cheeses, which resemble these in taste and texture but do not come from one of the traditional cheese making regions. The texture is rather hard, sometimes with small holes or cracks, the flavour strong and often a bit nutty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tête de Moine</span> Swiss semi-hard cheese

Tête de Moine AOP is a semi-hard cheese manufactured in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese, and was invented and initially produced more than eight centuries ago by the canons of the abbey of Bellelay, located in the community of Saicourt, district of Moutier, in the mountainous zone of the Bernese Jura, the French-speaking area of the Canton of Bern as well as the Canton of Jura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quality wines produced in specified regions</span>

Quality wines produced in specified regions is a quality indicator used within European Union wine regulations. The QWpsr category identifies wines with protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin. The European Union regulates and defines the status of "quality wines" according to production method, management, and geographical location. Its original, fundamental role is in differentiating quality wines from table wines, broadly in line with the system traditionally employed by the French government, amended to account for the preferences and methodology of Italian, German, and other growers in the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Etivaz</span> Swiss hard cheese similar to Gruyère

L'Étivaz is a hard Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese, and is very similar to Gruyère surchoix in taste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damassine</span> A fruit spirit produced in the Swiss Canton of Jura from the red damson plum.

Damassine is a clear, fruit spirit, distilled from the red damson plum, produced exclusively in the Swiss Republic and Canton of Jura following appellation d'origine protégée (AOP) guidelines that require specific sourcing and production practices. Damassine is also considered an eau de vie, more specifically an eau de vie de prunes, and is commonly referred to as a fruit brandy contrary to the regulation defining it as a fruit spirit.

<i>Appellation dorigine protégée</i> (Switzerland) Swiss protected geographic appellation

In Switzerland, the appellation d'origine protégée is a geographical indication protecting the origin and the quality of traditional food products other than wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected designation of origin</span> Geographical indication of food origin

The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designate products that have been produced, processed and developed in a specific geographical area, using the recognized know-how of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss cheeses and dairy products</span> Cheeses and dairy products produced in Switzerland

Switzerland has a strong and ancestral dairy farming and cheesemaking tradition. The breeding of cattle, sheep and goats for milk is attested in the Neolithic period and, since Antiquity, cheese has been exported from the Alpine regions. The rugged nature of the country makes approximately 80% of the agricultural land unsuitable for cultivation, which is therefore mainly exploited for cattle and sheep farming. This mode of exploitation has forged a large part of the Swiss landscape, in the Alps, the Jura and on the Swiss Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziger</span> Swiss whey cheese


Ziger (German), Sérac (French) or Ricotta (Italian), is a group of fresh cheeses produced in Switzerland. Ziger is nationally widespread as it is the by-product of the manufacture of hard Swiss-type cheeses, such as Gruyère and Emmental. Made of whey, it is rich in proteins and it is historically a staple food in the Alpine regions.

References

  1. "Emmenthal definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary . Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  2. Michael Tunick (2014). The Science of Cheese. OUP USA. p. 140. ISBN   9780199922307.
  3. "Emmentaler". Cheese of France. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. "Emmentaler" . Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. Scientific American "Cheese Story", August 2010, p. 33
  6. González, Mariana; Budelli, Eliana; Pérez, Nicolás; Lema, Patricia (27 November 2019). "Acoustic techniques to detect eye formation during ripening of Emmental type cheese". Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 59: 102270. doi:10.1016/j.ifset.2019.102270. S2CID   213732802.
  7. "Emmentaler AOP", Switzerland Cheese Marketing. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. "Ziger / Sérac". Culinary Heritage of Switzerland. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  9. "Emmentaler: AOC-Gütesiegel". Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  10. Government of Switzerland. "Appellations d'origine et indications géographiques" . Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  11. "AOC-Label für den Käse mit den grössen Löchern". Swiss Info. 13 September 2004. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  12. "Pflichtenheft Emmentaler" (PDF). Government of Switzerland. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  13. "Emmentaler". Origin GI. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  14. "DOOR". Ec.europa.eu. 1997-01-24. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  15. "DOOR". Ec.europa.eu. 1996-06-21. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  16. "DOOR". Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  17. Swiss Cheese, Emmentaler Cheese Grades and Standards, U.S. Department of Agriculture, accessed March 25, 2020
  18. How to Buy Cheese Archived 2021-03-10 at the Wayback Machine , U.S. Department of Agriculture (1971), p. 15