Description
Aged Emmentaler AOP Cheese
About Emmentaler AOP Cheese
Emmentaler AOP is probably the cheese most people picture when you say Swiss cheese.
Big holes, golden paste, enormous wheels — it’s instantly recognisable. In fact, those holes have become such a shorthand for cheese that you’ll find them in everything from cartoons to cheese emojis.
But proper Emmentaler AOP is much more than just a cheese with holes.
It takes its name from the Emmental, the valley of the River Emme in the canton of Bern, where cheesemaking has been part of rural life for centuries. The first written references to cheese from the region go back to the Middle Ages, when farmers needed a way of preserving their plentiful summer milk for the months ahead.
Making enormous wheels turned out to be a rather good solution. Emmentaler wheels can weigh well over 100kg, making them amongst the biggest cheeses we sell.
Thankfully, we don’t have to cut ours from a whole wheel. My shoulders are grateful.
Protected by AOP Tradition
Like so many famous cheeses, Emmentaler became a victim of its own success.
Its style travelled around the world, and today you’ll find cheeses with holes labelled “Emmental” or simply “Swiss cheese” made in all sorts of places.
But Emmentaler AOP is the genuine Swiss article.
It must be made within its designated area in Switzerland from fresh, raw cow’s milk. The cows are fed mainly on grass and hay, with silage forbidden, and the cheese is made without additives or genetically modified ingredients.
Each wheel can also be traced back to the dairy that made it thanks to the official markings incorporated into the rind.
Ours is matured for around four months, putting it at the younger, milder end of the Emmentaler family. And that’s exactly why we stock it: it’s gentle, buttery and incredibly easy to enjoy.
What About Those Holes?
You can’t write about Emmentaler without talking about the holes.
Or eyes, if we’re being properly cheesemongery about it.
They develop during maturation as bacteria produce carbon dioxide. The gas becomes trapped inside the cheese, creating those wonderful round openings that make Emmentaler instantly recognisable.
The size and distribution of the eyes have traditionally been part of assessing the cheese, so they’re certainly not just there to make it look pretty.
Although they do a very good job of that too.
Emmentaler AOP – Jen’s Tasting Notes
Our Emmentaler AOP is matured for around four months and is classed as mild.
The paste is pale golden with those characteristic cherry-sized eyes, and the texture is smooth, supple and slightly springy.
Flavour-wise, this isn’t a cheese that’s going to shout at you.
It starts with a gentle milky sweetness and plenty of butteriness, followed by a soft nuttiness that reminds me of hazelnuts. There’s just enough savoury character to keep things interesting, but it’s deliberately mild and incredibly approachable.
And sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a cheese.
Not everything on a cheeseboard needs to be fighting for your attention.
How to Serve and Pair Emmentaler
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it can come up to room temperature.
- Classic pairings: Let’s keep it Swiss. A dry Chasselas has the freshness and gentle fruitiness to work beautifully with Emmentaler’s buttery, nutty character.
- Something a little different: A light Pinot Noir works surprisingly well too. Keep the tannins gentle and let the cheese’s sweetness come through.
- On the plate: I don’t tend to reach for Emmentaler when I’m building a cheeseboard. Give me some crusty bread, a little butter and a chunk of Emmentaler, though, and I’m very happy indeed.
- In the kitchen: This is where Emmentaler really earns its keep. It’s a classic fondue cheese and a fabulous melter, so use it in toasties, quiches, gratins or over French onion soup. Basically, anywhere you want long, glorious strings of melted cheese.
Jen’s note: Those famous holes in Emmentaler are actually called “eyes”. Cheesemakers once judged a wheel partly by how well those eyes had formed, so a beautifully even scattering of holes was something to be proud of. These days I mostly judge them by whether I can cut around the holes without making the piece look as though a mouse has already been at it!
Buying Emmentaler
- Brand or Producer: Emmi
- Product name: Mild Emmentaler AOP
- Milk: Cow
- Country: Switzerland
- Region: Bern
- Strength: Mild
- Vegetarian: No
- Suitable for pregnancy: Yes
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £3.75
- 500g wedge, £18.75
- Larger pieces available on request
Storage Advice
- Keep refrigerated
- Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
- Remove from the fridge before serving
- Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening
Delivery and Collection
- UK wide courier delivery
- Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
- Free local delivery available for selected postcodes
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, starter cultures, rennet, salt
