Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the Emme Valley in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is classified as a Swiss-type cheese.

History

Emmental cheese originates from the Emme Valley in Switzerland. It has a savory but mild taste. While "Emmentaler" is registered as a geographical indication in Switzerland, a limited number of countries recognize the term as a geographical indication: similar cheeses of other origins, especially from France (as "Emmental"), the Netherlands,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, are widely available and sold by that name. In some parts of the world, the names "Emmentaler" and " Swiss cheese" are used interchangeably for Emmental-style cheese.

Production

Three types of

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

are needed to prepare Emmental: ''

Streptococcus thermophilus ''Streptococcus thermophilus'' formerly known as ''Streptococcus salivarius ''subsp.'' thermophilus'' is a gram-positive bacteria, gram-positive bacterium, and a lactic acid fermentation, fermentative facultative anaerobic organism, facultative ...

'', '' Lactobacillus helveticus'', and ''

Propionibacterium freudenreichii ''Propionibacterium freudenreichii'' is a gram-positive, Motility, non-motile bacterium that plays an important role in the creation of Emmental cheese, and to some extent, Jarlsberg cheese, Leerdammer and Maasdam cheese. Its concentration in Swi ...

''. Historically, the

eyes An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

were a sign of imperfection, and until modern times, cheese makers would try to avoid them. Nowadays, however, eye formation is valued as a sign of maturation and quality and acoustic analysis has been developed for this purpose. Emmental cheese is usually consumed cold, as chunks or slices, and is also used in a variety of dishes, particularly in

gratin Gratin () is a culinary technique in which a dish (food), dish is topped with a Browning (food process), browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or cheese.Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique' ...

s, and fondue, in which it is mixed with Gruyère, another highly popular Swiss cheese. Ziger, a whey cheese, is a by-product of the manufacture of Emmental. Cow Herd

Protected varieties and nomenclature

Several varieties of Emmental are registered as geographical indications, including:

Switzerland

''Emmentaler'' was registered in 2000 as an ''

appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) in Switzerland. In 2013, it was replaced by the '' appellation d'origine protégée'' (AOP) certification. The Emmentaler produced according to the AOC-registration needs to be produced in small rural dairies with raw cow's milk, adding only natural ingredients (water, salt, natural starter cultures and

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...

); preservatives or ingredients from genetically modified organisms are not allowed. The cheese is produced in a round shape with a natural rind, and aged in traditional cellars for a minimum of four months. Emmentaler must be produced in

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

of Aargau, Bern (except Amtsbezirk Moutier), Glarus, Luzern, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Zug or Zurich, or in the See- and Sensebezirk of canton of Freiburg.

Outside Switzerland

Emmentaler is also recognized as a geographical indication in the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Jamaica, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Spain.

Three cheeses containing the word Emmental are protected under EU law: * ''Allgäuer Emmentaler'', from Bavaria, Germany, has PDO status * ''Emmental de Savoie'', from Savoie, France, has PGI status * ''Emmental français est-central'' from

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

, France, also has PGI status In many parts of the English-speaking world the terms "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are both used to refer to any cheese of the Emmental type, whether produced in Switzerland or elsewhere. The

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

, for example, uses the terms "Swiss cheese" and "Emmentaler cheese" interchangeably.
How to Buy Cheese
'', U.S. Department of Agriculture (1971), p. 15

Emmental-style cheeses

Emmental cheese is very widely imitated around the world, often just called "Swiss cheese". Specific European types include: * Grevé from Sweden * Jarlsberg cheese from Norway * Maasdam cheese from the Netherlands, with Leerdammer being one variety

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmental (Cheese) Swiss cheeses Canton of Bern Cow's-milk cheeses Culinary Heritage of Switzerland Cheese with eyes European cuisine