Cheese "Emmental" - the king of cheeses

The business card of the Emmental cheese is a big hole - "eyes" and incomparable soft sweet taste. Cheese "Emmental" is very popular. In the people it is called Swiss. And all because it is the basis of the Swiss national dish - cheese fondue.

Switzerland - the birthplace of cheese

Switzerland is considered the most "prosperous" country for cheeses. In the alpine meadows you can always see a herd of cows, which have long become the unspoken symbol of the country. Cattle really like living in Switzerland. Green pastures, stretching for several kilometers, serve as ideal food for herbivores. As you know, the quality of cheese directly depends on its main component - milk. Could the cows, who feed on natural meadow grass daily, give bad milk? Of course not! Therefore, cheese and dairy products produced in Switzerland are of high quality, incomparable taste and aroma. Cheese "Emmental" is no exception.

Cheese product for healthy eating

Almost all cheeses in Switzerland are brewed from fresh milk, so they are considered products of beauty, health and harmony. Cheese "Emmental" is called the king of cheeses. It is also prepared from fresh milk, which is given by alpine cows, and then sent to caves for aging. The finished cheese is "decorated" with large holes and has a sweetish nutty taste. By the way, the milk product received its name from the Emma River. In its valley is the European center of cheese making - Bern.

Caloric content of Emmental cheese is 380 kcal per 100 g of product. The quality of cheese can be determined by the shape of the holes and their "behavior". If the cheese product periodically "cries" - in his eyes there are droplets of milk - this indicates its highest quality. But today "crying" cheese can be seen on the shelves of shops rarely. During the period of its delivery to the retail network, all the drops dry up.

How to prepare Emmental cheese

Fresh cheese is used to produce the famous cheese product. It is heated to a temperature of +34 ° C and mixed with fermented milk enzymes. The resulting curdled milk is then crushed into granules. Then the mass is again heated, large heads are formed from it, which are kept in brine for three days. Next, the cheese product is sent to caves for aging. One month the cheese is in a damp cold room, after which it is transferred to a warm cellar. The maturation period of the Emmental cheese is 2-2.5 months. At the end of this period, the product is again placed in a cold cave. The maturing period of this variety lasts for 15-20 months. Very nice and mouth-watering is the Emmental cheese. The photo shown below makes it possible to verify this.

What can replace the cheese "Emmental"

Hard Swiss cheese "Emmental" is used to prepare a variety of salads, desserts and second courses. It goes well with wine and fruit. Do not forget that Swiss cheese is the main ingredient in fondue. But not every refrigerator has Emmental cheese. How to replace the famous product? Some housewives recommend using Gouda, Mozzarella or Maasdam cheeses in these cases. But still, the Emmental cheese in its classical version gives the cheese fondue a special rich taste and flawless flavor. Today the Swiss fondue is considered an aristocratic dish. The original recipe for its preparation includes only Emmental cheese, wine, fresh bread. Today, in the preparation of fondue, these ingredients are replaced with cherry tincture, cheaper cheeses and various spices. Often potatoes, olives, gherkins are added to the dish, but this is not quite right ...