Do you want to buy a souvenir from your holiday in Switzerland? Why not buy some fine Swiss cheese? Here we’ve provided some useful facts & information pertaining to the delicious cheese Switzerland has to offer.
The production of fine Swiss cheese in Switzerland has traditionally been the preserve of the Swiss mountain dwellers. The procedures and skill involved in producing Swiss cheese according to the traditional method is something that has been handed down from generation to generation in Swiss families for hundreds of years.
Swiss cheese ingredients
The first step in producing fine Swiss cheese involves sourcing the milk, which in Switzerland comes from cows that have been free to graze on the fresh grass and clovers on the mountains and hillsides of Switzerland. All Swiss cheese relies on raw milk as its base ingredient. Traditional Swiss cheese is made by hand and often left to ripen for several months before being sent to market for sale. Some varieties of Swiss cheese are flavoured through being wiped with various herbs during the ripening process.
Swiss cheese production today
Although the fine Swiss cheese makers in Switzerland have traditionally been the Swiss mountain dwellers, the majority of Swiss cheese that is made in Switzerland today happens in one of the many modern dairies located in the valleys of Switzerland. A trip to any supermarket in Switzerland offers a bewildering variety of cheeses each with their own distinct flavours and methods of production. Some varieties of Swiss cheese are internationally known and exported across the world, while others are only popular inside Switzerland or even within specific regions in Switzerland.
Buying Swiss cheese in Switzerland
Fine Swiss cheese connoisseurs wishing to see a really diverse range of the Swiss cheeses that Switzerland has to offer can visit any number of specialist cheese shops or market stalls located in every town and most villages in Switzerland. Otherwise the average supermarket in Switzerland sells more different varieties of cheese than you are likely to find in any other country.
