Dear fellow food-lover,
Welcome to The Cheese Plate, a monthly email from Oldways with curated information about different types of traditional cheeses, with ideal pairings. Let The Cheese Plate be a guide to put wonderful traditional cheeses on your plate.
Visit our Cheese Store Directory to find where to buy traditional cheeses near you and to support cheesemakers and retailers during these challenging times. For tips on buying cheese, download our e-book, The Cheese-Lover’s Guide to Cooking with Traditional Cheeses.
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Alpine style cheeses are produced in mountainous regions. Alpine refers to where they originated, the Swiss Alps, though you can now find wonderful versions produced in the United States, too.
To make alpine style cheeses, the curds from the milk are cut very finely, cooked at a high temperature, and placed in a mold that helps produce a low-moisture cheese. Later on, the aging process contributes to the cheese’s signature sweet flavor notes, and the holes, or “eyes,” that often form within it.
Alpine style cheeses possess qualities which make them excellent options for stand-alone snacking. You can also use them to add rich flavor and creamy texture to a dish or in fondue.
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Gruyére AOP is iconic. A cheese that is beautifully crafted with long-standing traditions, it is infused with unique region-specific flavors derived from the sun, air, soil, water, and mountain topography. One wheel of Gruyere AOP is made with over 100 gallons of creamy, decadent raw cow's milk. Traditional cheesemaking practices like these are invaluable because they preserve the history, quality, character and taste of the cheeses we love. |
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Producing cheese in copper vats is a highly-valued tradition historically, and originates from the mountainous regions of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Using copper vats makes the cheese flavors richer and more intense. It may also make the cheeses more nutritious, since small traces of copper (an essential mineral linked with immune health and brain development) can be transferred to the cheese.
This production method is held in such high regard that US based producers have asked for special permits to use them in order to emulate the cheesemaking practices performed in Europe.
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Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock. As colder weather approaches, it’s a time for cows that have been grazing higher up on the mountains to move to lower areas. In many Alpine towns it is a grand celebration. It’s done parade-style, and the cows are adorned with colorful and festive flower crowns and belts.
Cheesemaking is an agricultural endeavor, deeply interconnected with the raising and tending of livestock. Transhumance is ecologically conscious and preserves ecosystems that in turn help produce rich and delicious cheeses. A win-win!
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What is better than dipping delicious bread, fruits, and vegetables in ooey-gooey, melted cheese? While it is usually thought of as a decadent treat these days, fondue is deeply rooted in the food ways of rural communities taking advantage of the resources around them. It was a practical way to use leftover bits of bread and cheese (and it still can be!).
Fondue recipes are easy to improvise, and hard to get wrong. Craft your very own fondue with US or Swiss Alpine style cheeses. They melt particularly well, and serve as a perfect base for fondue that can be used for dipping whatever sweet and savory foods you’re in the mood to enjoy.
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