Ju: When you think of Swiss cheese,
you think of holes, right?
But Emmentaler isn't actually
the most popular cheese in Switzerland.
Gruyère is the most produced
and most consumed cheese in the country.
We're here to see how it's made and find out
why it's the main component of a Swiss fondue.
We're actually in the town of Gruyères, which
in the French-speaking region of Fribourg, near Geneva.
Fribourg is one of the five areas,
including Bern, Jura, Vaud, and Neuchâtel,
that make up the Gruyère AOP production zone.
Gruyère has a long heritage.
Records of cheesemaking go back
to the 12th century in this region.
Legend has it that in the year 161,
the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius died
after eating too much Gruyère.
Today, 30,000 tons of Gruyère are produced here each year.
The Maison du Gruyère is responsible for 520 tons of that.
In 2018, over 15,000 tons of Gruyère
were sold in Switzerland, making it the most consumed cheese
in the country, ahead of mozzarella and Emmentaler.
Gruyère was granted AOP protection from the EU in 2001,
meaning that these areas are the
"protected designation of origin."
But there are a few qualifications for this.
It must be made using traditional know-how,
it must be aged to a minimum of five months,
and it must be made using raw milk from natural-fed cows,
from dairies no more than 20 kilometers away.
Milk is supplied twice a day.
A vat containing 4,800 liters of unpasteurized milk
is used to produce 12 wheels of Gruyère AOP at a time.
48 wheels are produced daily.
The cheesemaker adds starter cultures made from whey
to mature the milk.
Rennet is also added to curdle the milk.
This sets the milk into a junket after 40 minutes.
Knives called cheese harps are used to cut the curd.
The vat is gradually heated up to 57 degrees Celsius,
until the curds are the size of wheat grains.
The cheesemaker must check the texture
and size of these carefully.
The contents of the vat are then pumped out into molds,
and the whey is drained away.
Each wheel is then pressed for 24 hours.
The following day, each wheel
is dipped in a concentrated salt bath for 24 hours.
After, it is taken to the cellars,
where it is constantly turned and the rind is washed.
The cheese is stored at around 15 degrees Celsius.
The cheese also has to be kept on wooden shelves.
A cellar like this houses around 7,000 wheels of cheese.
Gruyère is aged here for five months,
at which point it is ready to eat.
For a sharper taste, it can be aged up to 16 months.
- Going to give them a try and see
whether I can tell the difference
between the different ages.
First one I'm going to try is the six-month-aged Gruyère.
The rich kind of nuttiness hasn't come through as much yet.
It's still quite a mild cheese at this stage.
Now to taste the eight-month aged Gruyère.
Oh wow, there's such a difference
in flavor between the two of them.
Also, the texture of it is slightly more grainy
and a much richer flavor to this one.
I know this is going to be the strongest flavor
because it's the longest aged.
So, all three of these go into making a fondue,
which we're gonna try.
We couldn't come here
without trying fondue moitié-moitié,
also called fondue Suisse.
In many Swiss regions, Gruyère cheese
is the most popular ingredient in fondue.
- Another important component for a great fondue here
is the vacherin.
And what it does it gives it consistency.
So it's not just Gruyère that goes into an amazing fondue.
That is so rich and so creamy.
You can definitely taste a bit of punch
from the more mature flavors of cheese in there.
It's just the absolute real deal.
That is the best fondue I've ever had.
On top of fondue,
you can find Gruyère in French onion soup,
croque monsieur, cordon bleu, quiche, the list goes on.
It's a versatile and popular cheese
for cooking because it has a taste
that's distinct but not overpowering.
A wheel of Gruyère is between 55 and 65 centimeters
in diameter and weighs between 25 and 40 kilograms.
Have you noticed the writing on the side of the rind?
"Le Gruyère AOP" is inscribed on every authentic wheel.
Each wheel must have a casein mark
and the number of the cheese factory.
It must also have the date of the production on it.
You might be thinking, wait,
why doesn't this Swiss cheese have holes in it?
The French variety of Gruyère
is required to have holes and receives IGP protection.
In Switzerland, Gruyère receives AOP protection
and it's a smooth texture.
As Gruyère is such a popular cheese,
how does the Maison Du Gruyère
protect itself against copycat products?
Philippe Bardet: Gruyère is a well-known name, so,
and it's a high-quality product.
Like a watch, for example.
You can make fake Gruyère and
we find some fake Gruyère on the market,
and we can find who is the producer
of this fake Gruyère, we attack him.
Ju: The name Gruyère is protected around the world
in Switzerland, Russia, Europe, South Africa, and the USA.