A Return to Gruyeres…

Hello Cheese Enthusiast!

Gruyeres Crest Image courtesy of Wikipedia

As I am entering my third month of no travel, I find that while I may not be able to get on a plane, my mind is free to travel at will…no TSA, no lines, no tickets needed, I just close my eyes and settle in to ‘first class’, as my mind circles the globe….Join me!...I saved you a seat!  

Nine years ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Switzerland for ten glorious days. While the entire trip ended up being the trip of a lifetime, it was the visit to the Village of Gruyères and the stop by La Maison du Gruyère that will always stick out in my mind.

Most reading this know of the cheese, Gruyère AOP…but they may not know that the cheese is named after a village in the mountains of Switzerland.

The medieval village of Gruyères is located in the in the district of Gruyère, in the Canton of Fribourg overlooking the Saane Valley.

The village is named after Gruérius…the legend follows: 

“Nearly two thousand years ago, this area was part of "Confoederatio Helvetica", a province of the then declining Roman Empire.”

“One of the warlords, Gruérius, painstakingly followed the river towards its upper regions and the mountains beckoning in the background. The country was wild, unexplored and covered with forests. He scrambled up the steep cliffs at the head of the main river valley and set foot on the wide sweep of an unexpected plain. He saw the three smaller river valleys winding down from the mountains to feed the Saane, the forests full of animals and birds, the protective mountains surrounding the plain and the brave little rocky hill which stood out in the middle. He was enthralled, he knew instinctively that he had found his ‘promised land’.”

“He decided, there and then, that this was where he would put down his roots. He would build his castle on the hill which provided an overall view of the plain and the valleys leading into it. The rocks at the base would be an efficient buttress if danger threatened.”

“He climbed the hill and as he stood there on a rocky outcrop in the setting sun, drinking in the beauty of the site, a white crane winged its way out of the bright orange-red sky, circled majestically and landed trustingly on his shoulder. Delighted, he heralded the bird as a good omen and announced to his faithful henchmen that this was where they would settle. He would call the area "Gruérius" and his coat of arms would bear a white crane on a deep red background.”

 (See crest above)

Today, the village is home to about 2,200 residents and their small homes and businesses line the cobblestone streets. Such a charming place and the area is alive and the air is filled with music (see video)



Just down the hill is La Maison du Gruyère, a “show dairy” where you can see Gruyère AOP cheese being made and the history behind it. This place had such an impact on me, that it was one of the very first blog posts that I wrote about. You can visit this story here.

I knew that I enjoyed Gruyère AOP, but there was so much more that I didn’t know:

·      “Le Gruyère AOP” cheese received its AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée) certification on July 6th, 2001. In 2013, to match the system of the European Union, the appellation d'origine controlee was replaced by the AOP (appellation d’origine protégée) for agricultural products certification.

·      “Le Gruyère AOP” has been produced since 1,115 AD. 

·      348 million kg of milk are processed into 29,000 tons of Gruyère AOP cheese in approximately 170 dairies including la Maison du Gruyère.

·      460 tons of “Gruyère d’alpage AOP” is produced in 52 dairies situated in the high mountain pastures.

·      The map below shows the Village Cheese Dairies (blue dots) and the Alpine Cheese Dairies (Green Dots).

·      2/3 of the production is consumed in Switzerland, with the remaining 1/3 exported to the European Union and North America

Le Gruyère AOP production zone image courtesy of Interprofession du Gruyère

·      Swiss cattle number 1.6 million in total. Over one third of them spend their summer in the Alpine pastures.

·      The Interprofession du Gruyère represents the milk producers (2200), cheesemakers (170 village cheese makers, and 52 alpine cheese makers) and refiners (9) of Gruyère AOP Switzerland. Responsibilities of the Interprofession include overseeing, controlling the quality, the quantities and the marketing of Gruyère AOP Switzerland, as well as the defense of the trademark and PDO in the U.S. and worldwide. 

Le Gruyère AOP is one of the most amazing, versatile cheeses. Made from only raw milk.  

Thanks for traveling with me today…I hope that you will join me on my next “flight”  

Until next week…

Trevor