This is a list of the varieties of traditional cheeses made in Switzerland.

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

produces over 475 varieties of

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...

, a milk-based food produced in a large range of flavors, textures, and forms. Cow's

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

is used in about 99 percent of the cheeses Switzerland produces. The remaining share is made up of

sheep milk Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France). Sheep breed ...

and

goat milk Goat milk is the milk of domestic goats. Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply. Some goats are bred specifically for milk. Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream will stay i ...

. The export of these cheeses, some 40% of production in 2019, is economically important for Switzerland. The best known Swiss cheeses are of the class known as

Swiss-type cheeses Swiss-type cheeses, also known as Alpine cheeses, are a group of hard or semi-hard cheeses with a distinct character, whose origins lie in the Alps of Europe, although they are now eaten and imitated in most cheesemaking parts of the world. Their ...

, also known as Alpine cheeses, a group of hard or semi-hard

s with a distinct character, whose origins lie in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

of Europe, although they are now eaten and imitated in most cheesemaking parts of the world. These include

Emmental The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dair ...

, Gruyère and Appenzeller, as well as many other traditional varieties from Switzerland and neighbouring countries with Alpine regions. Their distinct character arose from the requirements of cheese made in the summer on high Alpine grasslands (''alpage'' in French), and then transported with the cows down to the valleys in the winter, in the historic culture of Alpine transhumance. Traditionally the cheeses were made in large rounds or "wheels" with a hard rind, to provide longevity to the shelf-life. Schafrügg Arosa Südosten

Technically Swiss-type cheeses are "cooked", meaning made using

thermophilic A thermophile is an organism—a type of extremophile—that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between . Many thermophiles are archaea, though they can be bacteria or fungi. Thermophilic eubacteria are suggested to have been among the earl ...

lactic fermentation starters, incubating the curd with a period at a high temperature of 45°C or more. Since they are later pressed to expel excess moisture, the group are also described as "'cooked pressed cheeses'", ''fromages à pâte pressée cuite'' in French. Most varieties have few if any holes, or holes that are much smaller than the large holes found in some Emmental or its imitations. The general eating characteristics of the cheeses are a firm but still elastic texture, flavour that is not sharp, acidic or salty, but rather nutty and buttery. When melted, which they often are in cooking, they are "gooey", and "slick, stretchy and runny". Swiss cheese cellar

Varieties

Extra-hard

* Sbrinz *Berner Hobelkäse AOP

Hard

* Appenzeller * Berner Alpkäse * Bündner Bergkäse * Gruyère/Greyerzer (AOP) *

L'Etivaz L'Étivaz is a hard Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese, and is very similar to Gruyère surchoix in taste. Its place of origin, L'Etivaz, is a hamlet in the southwestern Swiss Alps, just ...

(AOP) *Röthenbacher Bergkäse * Mutschli *

Schabziger Schabziger () or sapsago is traditional cheese exclusively produced in the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Schabziger is made out of the skimmed cow milk and a special kind of herb, blue fenugreek ('' Trigonella caerulea''), also called blue m ...

* Tête de Moine (AOP)

Semi-hard

Emmentaler Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. Emmental was first mentioned in written r ...

Raclette Raclette (, ) is a Swiss dish, also popular in the other Alpine countries, based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, then typically served with boiled potatoes. Raclette cheese is historically a dish originating from the canton of ...

* Scharfe Maxx * Le Marechal * Tilsiter *

Vacherin Fribourgeois Vacherin Fribourgeois (from French, ''Vacherin of Fribourg'') a Swiss semi-hard cheese made from thermised milk. It is produced under Swiss AOC in the canton of Fribourg, where Gruyère also originates. It has a slightly acidic, resiny flavor, a ...

(AOP)

Semi-soft

* Formaggini * Luzerner Rahmkäse

Soft

* Vacherin Mont d'Or * Gala * Büsciun da cavra * Tomme Vaudoise

Blue

* Bleuchâtel

Notes

References

* Donnelley, Catherine W. (ed), ''Cheese and Microbes'', 2014, ASM Press, , 9781555818593
google books
*Lortal, Sylvie, "Cheeses made with Thermophilic Lactic Starters", Chapter 16 in ''Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology'', 2004, CRC Press, , 9780203913550
google books
*"Oxford": Donnelley, Catherine W. (ed), ''The Oxford Companion to Cheese'', 2016, Oxford University Press, , 9780199330881
google books
*Thorpe, Liz, ''The Book of Cheese: The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheeses You'll Love'', 2017, Flatiron Books, , 9781250063465
google books

External links

Cheeses from Switzerland
Switzerland Cheese Marketing {{DEFAULTSORT:Swiss cheeses Swiss cheese *

Cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...