January 14th, 2016

To visit Switzerland - in a country where cheese is so loved that it can be served as a main dish, in a country where it is extremely difficult to find a restaurant that does not serve cheese, in a country where there is a “cheese express”, and they also indulge in cheese in on an airplane - to be there and not see how cheese is made, you see, is simply unforgivable!

Ever since I first visited Switzerland, this is all I have thought about. And then, one fine day, I received the treasured letter with the words: “Natalie, pack your suitcase, we’re going to make Swiss cheese!”

Before continuing to tell you about my experience in making cheese, I would like to return with you once again to Switzerland - a cheese factory in the Emmental Valley.

This trip, cheese “followed” us everywhere. It all started with breakfast on board Swiss airlines when flying from Moscow to Zurich. There was cheese in every restaurant we visited, and it was present at every breakfast in every hotel where we stayed. Then the cheese factory. And even when we returned home, at dinner we were treated to a small slice of Gruyère (and this in economy class - SWISS Taste of Switzerland!).

(I've been lucky to fly business class a couple of times in my life, and this was one of them - for breakfast a poached egg with sauce and golden-brown potatoes, a croissant, curd dessert and cheese)!

When you start making cheese yourself, observing the process in production becomes much more interesting.

Emmental cheese, or Emmentaler, is one of the most popular Swiss cheeses in our country. It is famous for its holes, soft sweetish and at the same time tart taste, which cannot be confused with anything else, and viscous texture. It is from this cheese (often paired with Gruyère) that fondue is made. They make cheese near Bern. And they have been brewing, by the way, for a long time: since the 13th century. Brewed from the freshest milk from Alpine cows, which are fed with juicy Alpine grass and hay. By the way, it takes about 10-12 liters to make 1 kg of cheese.

For the production of cheese that is subjected to aging, rennet is required. It is responsible for the curdling of milk and the texture of cheese. But besides this, there is another important ingredient - sourdough, which contains “good” bacteria. Bacteria create the right environment, helping the cheese to ripen and acquire the taste that we love so much.

It’s ideal, of course, to come here, to Affoltern, in the summer, rent a house or apartment (, don’t rush anywhere, but devote a few days to the valley (judge for yourself - that’s how it is here in the summer!). You can take an e-bike and ride through the most beautiful places with the breeze , similar excursions are also organized there (I already talked about similar ones once). However, with such exemplary transport, getting to the cheese village from Bern itself does not present any difficulties. Accurate timing, minimum walking and transfers, a very comfortable bus (we went If only we had these in our villages!) - we are in Switzerland! And the stop is right where you need it - two steps from the cheese factory. In general, in Switzerland, they say, there is transport to all the places where you can and should visit. -it’s impossible to get there - that means you don’t need to get there. Honestly, after a couple of trips, I, a lover of traveling by car, really wondered if it was needed there;)

The good thing about the cheese factory in Affoltern is that here you can see both the modern cheese production process and the ancient one - on fire. And you can even make cheese with your own hands and take it with you (however, the master class must be agreed upon in advance, and, as far as I understand, the option of making your own cheese is only possible for groups).

So, let's brew Emmental!

Pour fresh milk from Alpine cows into a copper cauldron. We move the boiler to the fire (there is a tricky mechanism here).
Heat the milk to a temperature slightly above room temperature, add the bacterial starter and enzyme, mix and leave for a while so that the milk curdles and turns into a jelly-like mass.

The resulting clot (jelly-like mass) is cut into pieces using a special tool (lyre) and heated again, but stronger (something about 50 degrees). From this moment on, for an hour you need to constantly intensively stir the mass with different devices: to break the cheese curd into small pieces and form a cheese grain.

It's not an easy task - mixing cheese, it's a man's job. But they say that there is also a female cheese maker in the cheese factory who works in this demonstration cheese factory. Great woman! I tried to interfere myself with this device on the right.

When the cheese grain is compacted and the whey is better released, we collect the cheese mass into a single lump using a natural coarse cloth, squeeze it a little, put it in a mold, squeeze it again, put a weight on it and leave it under pressure for a while.

The whey is used to feed piglets on a nearby farm. And we got a little bit.

They say Emmental is one of the most difficult cheeses to make. The head of the cheese must be large, otherwise the gas cavities that form the holes will break through to the surface of the cheese. This means the cheese will no longer be able to ripen. The cheese that is brewed in an old cheese factory is still small, but in modern production it is much larger. How much do you think one head like this weighs??? But this is not the only difficulty. Alpine milk! Since it does not undergo pasteurization, it enters the product in its original form, as is, with all its flavor nuances, which cannot but appear in the taste even after ripening. I had the opportunity to taste the freshest Alpine milk.

This cheese factory is interesting because you can immediately see and compare the process of making cheese using the ancient method and the modern one. In modern production, of course, the volumes are completely different. Although the original product and technology are still the same.

After the cheese has been under load, it is sent to a salt bath, where it spends several days. After the “spa” the cheese rests: first in one chamber - warm (about 20 degrees), it is in the warmth that holes are formed, as well as the shape of the cheese (it ceases to be as flat as it was floating in the salt solution), then in another , a cooler chamber (about 12 degrees) - here it will continue to ripen.

(in the top photo there are three chambers, stages of ripening: the first is a salt bath, the second is warm, the third is cool). During ripening, the cheese is constantly rubbed. The shelves on which it is kept have holes and rotate 180 degrees. After the cheese has been pureed, the entire block is turned over so that the underside of the cheese is on top.

By the way, it turns out that Emmental, like Parmigiano, comes in different ages. Although in Moscow I only bought one type. Emmental can be aged 5-10-30 months. The latter has a very interesting taste and texture! It is denser, drier, more tart in taste; when broken, “cracks” characteristic of aged cheese appear, but at the same time, those very holes remain for which everyone loves Emmental so much.

Unfortunately, this is not visible in the photo, the light was heavy, and everyone had already managed to work out the cheese.... their eyes were burning, like Roquefort’s from the famous cartoon about rodents)

And of course, it’s impossible to leave the cheese factory without trying the local fondue.
There is also a restaurant at the cheese factory with a beautiful terrace (one can only imagine what views there are in the summer).

Great fondue! And a crazy giant meringue with ice cream and cream. It's enough for company.

Not far from the cheese factory, in case you still didn’t have enough meringue in the restaurant, there is a bakery where they sell meringue, as well as Bernese gingerbread. They also bake delicious donuts at the exit.

I would really like to come back here in the summer! I won’t show you winter landscapes. And don't ask! And there are too many things!

Well... were you tempted? Plan a trip to the cheese factory!

A few of my impressions of Bern.
Everything you need to know about punctual Swiss transport is here.
There are 2 flights from Moscow to Zurich every day. By subscribing to the newsletter, you can, like me, receive information about promotions and track good prices. I don’t remember the last time I bought tickets through agencies and services, because I subscribe to most major airlines and monitor the situation on my own. It is more comfortable.
Everything related to excursions and master classes can be found on the cheese factory’s website.

PS So, I’ve been to Emmenthal, now I need to also look at Gruyères (this, by the way, is also somewhere not far from Bern). Maybe in summer?
Well, then I’ll get to France (I visited an Italian cheese factory, a Swiss one too...)

1061

23.07.14

"- Comrades, Swiss cheese, Greek olives. Please, please, help yourself!"
Film "Office Romance"

Emmental cheese is a product produced in Switzerland. Here it is called the cheese of the Alpine shepherds, and the first mention of this cheese dates back to 1293. Those who tried real Swiss Emmental for the first time will never forget its delicate taste and especially delicate aroma. And the cheese is very recognizable in appearance, but first things first.

Initially, the cheese was made only in Switzerland, but as its popularity grew, it began to be produced in other countries - in France, Italy, Germany, Finland.
Real Emmental cheese is made using a certain technology unique to Switzerland. By the way, the cheese owes its name to the Emma River, which flows near the city of Bern, where it was originally produced. For a long time, the production process was manual, and it’s not for nothing that this cheese is proudly called the “king of cheeses.”

The cheese is made from the milk of Alpine cows. In spring and summer, lush grass grows in the meadows, and it is spring and summer milk from cows that is used to make cheese. After milking, the milk is delivered to the workshops. There it is heated to 34`C, then rennet is added. The curdled milk is then crushed into small granules and reheated. After this, the cheese mass is separated from the whey, heads are formed, and pressed. A distinctive feature of Emmental cheese is that ripening occurs under different conditions. Heads of future cheese first
kept in brine for two days. Then they are removed from the brine and placed on shelves in a room where a high level of humidity is maintained. After this, the cheese heads are moved to a warmer room, where the cheese matures for a long time. At the final stage, the heads are moved back to the cold cellar. Large holes characteristic of this variety are formed inside the cheese. Where do they come from? Emmental at one stage ripens at a temperature of + 20`C - 23`C, which promotes the formation of carbon dioxide, which is released during the fermentation of the product - hence the holes in the cheese.

To obtain Emmental cheese of the highest quality, it takes at least 16-20 months. Ripened cheese is a circle weighing from 75 to 130 kilograms. To make one such head, about 800 liters of cow's milk are spent. The dense and elastic mass of cheese has a hard yellow crust. Real Emmental can be stored for decades, at least that’s what the manufacturers themselves say. Of course, we are talking about a whole head; if you cut it, the storage time is reduced significantly. And how can you avoid shrinking when the cheese is so delicious? Emmental has a pronounced sharp-sweet taste with subtle nutty notes and the aroma of freshly cut herbs.

Traditionally, cheese is served with fruit - grapes, peaches, sweet and sour apples, plums, etc. in the form of canapés, in shortbread baskets, on toast.

Sandwiches with ham, fruit, and sweet tomatoes are baked with cheese. A slice of cheese is placed on top so that it melts and forms a golden brown crust.

Cheese is added to Italian pizza. Grated Emmental cheese is sprinkled on pies and various vegetable casseroles.

Salads are prepared with cheese, combined with grapes, apples, nuts, chicken, trout, cucumbers, mushrooms, etc.

Mushroom julienne is prepared with cheese. The cheese is grated and sprinkled on the dish at the very end of cooking.
Emmental enhances the taste of pumpkin well, because... has a sweetish taste. Baked pumpkin with cheese and breadcrumbs is a wonderful dinner or warm snack in small quantities. The pumpkin is cut thinly, salted and peppered, placed in a row on a baking sheet greased with oil. Sprinkle the pumpkin with breadcrumbs and grated Emmental cheese, bake until the cheese is soft and golden brown.

Italian pasta is prepared with Emmental cheese. Mix grated cheese, walnuts, garlic, cream and butter. Boil the pasta until tender, mix with the cheese mixture and serve immediately. Cheese and butter melt on the hot pasta, envelop it, and the pasta smells fragrant.

Open pies with ham, smoked meats, onions, mushrooms, chicken or fish are baked with Emmental cheese. Meat products or fish are placed on a shortbread crust, sprinkled with fried onions or leeks and sprinkled with cheese. The pie is baked in the oven until golden brown.

Potatoes crusted with aromatic Emmental cheese turn out excellent. The potatoes are boiled in their skins, cooled, and cut into slices. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese. Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve as a side dish with fish or chicken.
A pork chop is baked under a cheese crust. The meat is salted and peppered, brushed with sour cream and garlic, sprinkled with grated Emmental cheese and baked.

A traditional Swiss fondue dish is not complete without Emmental cheese. Fondue is French for melted. A mixture of cheeses, including Emmental, is melted in a catnelon - a special pan with the addition of dry, white wine and garlic over a fire. Today fondue is a festive, gourmet dish, however, several centuries ago this dish was prepared by shepherds who, after a few days, were left with a crust of dried bread, a piece of cheese and a flask of white wine. They melted the cheese in hot wine heated in a cauldron, dipped a dry crust into the cheese and ate it.
Fondue has acquired an aristocratic appearance in modern life. Several varieties of cheese are added, the noblest wine is complemented by the aroma of garlic (the pan is rubbed with garlic before cooking) and cherry liqueur.
In addition to bread, fruits, boiled chicken fillets, natural ham, fish, etc. are used for fondue. Emmental gives fondue an amazing, subtle aroma.

Prepared the article Natalia Petrova, especially for the site

Emmental (in Latin Emmental) is a Swiss cheese made from cow's milk. Cheese wheels of this variety weigh as much as 75 kilograms, and some reach even more - 100 kg! This cheese has a bright spicy-sweet taste. Of course, it is generally considered to be an exclusively Swiss product, since its preparation was originally developed in the Bern region, the Emme Valley (hence the corresponding name). But in the modern world there are many manufacturers of Emmental, naturally distinguished by their names, such as:

• Emmentaler Switzerland (manufacturing country Switzerland),
• Emmental Francais Est-Central (manufacturing country France),
• Emmental de Savoie (prepared in Germany and Finland).

A characteristic feature of this variety are large holes. They are obtained as a result of a specific production process. Carbon dioxide is released by cheese bacteria, which in turn creates these specific cavities.

Alpine shepherds were the first to prepare this culinary delight. They boiled milk in huge containers. After the formation of clots, the curd mass was transferred to bags and placed under a press - flat, heavy stones. In general, the entire process of preparation and aging took 3.5 months. If you see that there is a Grand Cru prefix on the packaging, this indicates that raw milk is used in the preparation, and the ripening period is 1.5-2 years. This is an even more elite product: Emmental Grand Cru.

Emmental is a hard cheese; it has a dense mass, slightly elastic. The cheese head is covered with a bright yellow rind that smells like freshly cut grass. These products have an impressive shelf life. They can be stored for a very long time - for decades, without losing their taste. With all the above advantages, this high-protein product has fairly low fat content, which makes it accessible for consumption by bodybuilders and athletes on a strict diet. So we highly recommend it to all bodybuilders and fitness models. Be sure to include it in your daily diet. And in addition to this, it has long been known that emotional mood and training, or rather, its quality, directly depend on what we eat. The amazing taste and aroma of this food will charge you with positivity for a long time, thereby inspiring new qualitative progress in your training...

Emmental cheese is part of Swiss culinary traditions. Without it, it is simply unthinkable to prepare one of the national dishes - Swiss fondue. To prepare it, you usually use: wine, cheese and a fondue pot or fireproof container. This dish is served on the table along with a spirit lamp or candle to maintain a constant fire. As spices, fondue is seasoned with nutmeg and garlic. Pieces of bread are pricked onto long forks or wooden skewers and dipped into the cheese mixture. This is a great dish for a group of several people.

Today, Swiss cheese can be found on almost every counter. The global market is filled with various types of natural milk products. Emmental cheese is no exception - the demand for it is very high. To choose the right product, you should learn more about it.

Peculiarities

This variety is considered the true “king” among Swiss cheese varieties. Emmental has a pleasant creamy consistency and is filled with fairly large holes or eyes. The number of so-called eyes may vary. But experts say: a small number of regularly shaped holes indicates better quality cheese. Their size also plays an important role. Large means that the product emits a strong odor. Emmental's weight ranges from 30 to 120 kilograms.

I know about this cheese in every corner of the world. The history of its creation dates back to the 13th century. It was then that the first cheese factories opened in the Swiss town of Bern, where large wheels of cheese were made. At first, production was designed for a close circle of people. But later many people began to like the product, and that’s how it became popular. As the main ingredient, farmers used exclusively pasteurized milk from Alpine cows, which was subsequently heated in a cauldron.

The location of the production workshop was the coast of the Emme River. Hence the name of the variety - Emmentaler.

After going through the procedure of fermentation and pressing, the cheese was sent to ripen in special linen bags, into which spruce and juniper branches were placed. Being adjacent to the plants, Emmental absorbed all the delights of their aroma, which also prevented mold from developing. Swiss cheeses are varied, but at the same time similar. The famous Emmentaler has so-called brothers, similar in taste and external characteristics.

Therefore, in cooking, it is often replaced with other types of cheese, for example, Gouda and Maasdam. They are also great for snacking with fruit and wine pairings.

Composition and beneficial properties

Swiss cheese, like all dairy products, is quite filling and healthy for the human body. This variety belongs to the fatty species. The nutritional value of 100 g of product is on average 380 calories, of which 28 g of protein, 29 g of fat and 2.1 g of carbohydrates. Despite its high calorie content, the product should not be excluded from your diet by those who are on a diet. The main thing is to observe the measure, and then the cheese will only bring benefits. This feature is explained by the content of essential vitamins and fatty acids.

Chemical composition:

• vitamin A;
• vitamin B12;
• vitamin B6;
• vitamin B9;
• vitamin B2;
• vitamin D;
• vitamin E;
• vitamin D3;
• vitamin D19 ME;
• vitamin K;
• beta-carotene;
• manganese;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• sodium;
• iron;
• zinc;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• copper;
• selenium;
• thiamine;
• retinol;
• choline;
• folic acid;
• a nicotinic acid;
• tryptophan;
• lysine;
• tyrosine;
• threonine;
• alanine;
• serine;
• arginine;
• glutamic acid;
• glycine.

The beneficial properties of the product are:

• the content of milk protein and fat makes the product easily digestible for the body;
• has a positive effect on the skeletal system, strengthens teeth and nail plates;
• Vitamin D content facilitates the absorption of other minerals;
• Emmental helps in the prevention of joint diseases, as well as after bruises and injuries;
• restores well after physical activity, and also gives energy and increases overall tone;
• ideally complements the diet of pregnant and nursing mothers, children, and athletes;
• has a positive effect on anemia, heart and vascular diseases;
• allowed for hypertensive patients, as it does not increase blood pressure due to the small amount of salts;
• accelerates metabolism, improves kidney function;
• the zinc content in cheese has a beneficial effect on the male reproductive system;
• affects memory and concentration;
• strengthens the immune system;
• slows down the aging process;
• prevents the formation of cancer cells.

Despite the usefulness of Emmental, there are also contraindications to its use. First of all, this includes individual intolerance to the product, namely lactose. High fat content can also be dangerous for overweight people. In this case, you should reduce your consumption of dairy products to a couple of pieces per day.

You should not combine cheese with bread and other flour products; this will significantly increase its glycemic index. Such a product will bring great harm to those suffering from colic and gastrointestinal diseases.

Manufacturing technology

The high quality of Swiss cheeses provides them with such high popularity and stable sales. The Emmental variety has been produced for many centuries, but the recipe still remains unchanged. Cheese making is a true tradition, which is strictly prohibited from changing. To prepare real Swiss hard cheese, you must strictly follow the standard recipe.

You will need:

• cow's milk - 32 l;
• mixed starter - 2 teaspoons;
• propionic acid bacteria - 1\2 tsp;
• 10% calcium chloride solution;
• liquid rennet - 7.6 ml.

Detailed description of preparation.

• Cool the pasteurized milk to 32 degrees. In one container we mix water with calcium chloride, in the second - with rennet. Add half of the two solutions to the pan and stir.
• To ensure that the desired curd ripens, close the lid and leave for 40 minutes. To check the cheese curd, make an incision with a knife and lift this side. We proceed to the next step when the cut edge is smooth and filled with whey. Otherwise, we wait another 15 minutes.
• Cut the finished curd mass into pieces and continue stirring for about 40 minutes, lowering the temperature to 30 degrees.
• Now, on the contrary, we raise it again to 45 degrees and stir for another half hour.
• Remove the pan from the heat, but do not stop stirring for another 30 minutes. After this, wait for the grain to settle.
• We drain the whey and place the grain directly in the drainage bag in the prepared warm form. Next, wrap it in a blanket and put it in the oven at 30 degrees.
• The second half of the milk is prepared using the above method.
• Add the new granular mass to the bag, mix, compact and wait 15 minutes until self-pressing is complete. Next, we move on to pressing using a weight - in the first hour we install a weight with the mass of two heads, the second hour - a weight of three heads, the third and fourth hour - four. It is important to remember to turn the cheese wheels over.
• The next step will be salting. But first, let's weigh the cheese. There is a single rule: 3 hours of salting for every 50 g of product, that is, a 3-kilogram cheese is placed in a 20% solution, the salting time is 9 hours. Next, turn the product over and leave it for the same time again.
• After salting, give the cheese time to dry in the refrigerator at a temperature of 10 degrees. The process takes about a week. You can also use a chamber designed for ripening cheeses, where the same temperature regime is maintained, but the period will be reduced to two weeks.
• After a month, the temperature should be increased to 22 degrees. At this time, the Emmental becomes overgrown with holes, the head becomes rounded and increases in size. The main care during this period is to turn it over every two days. After 30 days, return the dairy product to its original place with a temperature of 13 degrees. In 3 months, Swiss cheese will ripen and acquire a unique taste and aroma.