Gruyeres is a cheese originating in Switzerland. It is considered a real attraction of this European country. Almost 30 thousand tons are produced per year. The features of this product, as well as how it can be replaced, will be discussed in our article.
The real Swiss cheese
Perhaps the phrase
Swiss cheese is a household word. It means a product, of course, cheese, of exceptional quality. And although quite recently two countries - France and Switzerland - were arguing where exactly they started to make gruyeres, since 2001 cheese can officially be considered Switzerland as its legitimate, documented homeland. Moreover, a special commission assigned him the status of “Name controlled by place of origin”. That is, only in this country (Switzerland) they have the right to produce cheese under this brand and call it Gruyere. There are opinions that this product began to be produced more than a thousand years ago. Just imagine how skill was perfected during this time and all the nuances of its cooking were taken into account. Perhaps that is why the Gruyere cheese is so popular in Europe and beyond.
Details on the taste and appearance of the product
A true gruyere cheese is necessarily made from unpasteurized cow's milk. It is best if the raw materials were obtained in the summer, when cows graze in the famous
alpine meadows and eat fresh, tasty grass. The consistency of cheese is quite dense, it has no characteristic holes, and its ripening period is on average one year. But, despite this, within four months after manufacture, the cheese can be eaten. Experts say that its taste resembles dry fruits, but as it ripens, it becomes more tart, pronounced, acquiring a “earthy” flavor. Of course, professional tasters know better what shades of taste and aroma this cheese should have. The rest of the gruyeres are recommended to use fondue for cooking (a traditional Swiss dish, very simple and tasty - pieces of bread, meat, etc. are dipped into the melted milk product). In addition, it is an excellent addition to wine, as well as an addition to spaghetti, salads and other dishes where cheese is traditionally placed.
What can replace the Gruyere cheese?
Of course, not everyone can find Gruyere cheese in stores. How to replace it, if, for example, the recipe says that you need to use this particular grade for cooking? Here is what the experts advise: firstly, it should be borne in mind that gruyere is a very
hard cheese, therefore, you need to look for an analogue with the same characteristic. Most suitable for replacing Swiss delicacies are Emmental or Jarlsberg cheeses. The first name is better known to Russian housewives - Emmental cheese can be found and bought in any large supermarket. Although, if you are looking for an even cheaper substitute, remember: Gruyere cheese is an analogue, in fact, of any hard cheese with a pronounced taste. That is, instead of it, you can put in a dish a product called “Russian”, although this will already be a little wrong. Still, the special, pronounced aroma of dried fruit can not be replaced with anything.
Gruyere cheese price
It was mentioned that this product can be eaten after 4 months of special aging. However, there is a clear gradation of this cheese depending on its age. So, if he “turned” 4-5 months old, it has the name “sweet”, if cheese is already 7-8 months old, then it is already “semi-salted”, and the one-year-old heads of the gruyere are marked as “top grade” or “reserve”. By the way, up to 12 liters of high-quality milk are used to produce 1 kilogram of product. And the heads themselves, which would be better to call heads, have a weight of 25 to 40 kilograms and a diameter of 55-65 cm. Therefore, you will not see such a product on sale in its entirety, as a rule, the heads are cut into large pieces of a wedge-shaped shape. Gruyere cheese is quite expensive, especially outside its homeland. In Russian supermarkets, its price is about 300-400 rubles per pack of 200 grams, that is, from 1,500 thousand rubles per 1 kilogram. Usually it is exported already in vacuum packaging with the corresponding inscription (Le Gruyere). Remember that the birthplace of real Gruyere cheese is Switzerland. Cheese, on the packaging of which appears any other country, is not original. Only a dairy product made in the Gruyère district can bear this name.
What dishes are traditionally prepared using gruyere
As we have already mentioned, the most popular dish of this product is fondue. It is traditional for France and Switzerland. Perhaps it is only there that residents can afford to buy from a half kilogram of this delicacy (and it takes no less than fondue) and dip pieces of bread, ham and other products into it to taste. Due to the fact that the cheese melts perfectly, it is often used to make fillings and sauces, it does not clog the taste of other ingredients. By the way, it is Gruyere that is used in the classic recipe of a popular French dish - onion soup. It also goes well with meat dishes. This cheese is one of the most beloved in Europe. We hope that after reading the article it will become interesting for you to try this product, which is rightfully considered the pride of its region - the small canton of Friborg (Gruyere district) in Switzerland.