There are plenty of places on the world map that seem to have come straight out of photographs, and the small town of Gruyères (Switzerland) is undoubtedly one of them. The picturesque medieval town, which is located on the slopes of a hill at the foot of the Alps, is the birthplace of the famous Gruyère cheese. Every year thousands of tourists come here to stroll through the ancient streets, climb to the top of the hill by cable car and simply feel the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.

general information

Gruyères is a tiny town in , where everything is imbued with the spirit of the Middle Ages. Previously it belonged to the Counts of Gruyères. The family's coat of arms depicts a crane, which has become an integral symbol of the city. The city was named after the bird, because Grue means crane in French.

Gruyere Castle, which is another symbol of the town and Switzerland, was built in the 11th century in the southern part of the canton of Friborg (distance from 116 km, and from 68 km). On an area of about 28.5 sq. km is home to just over 2 thousand people.

The legend of the appearance of the town of Gruyères

The founder of the settlement is considered to be Gruerius, the leader of the Vandals. He was looking for fertile lands where he could found a city. Rising along the banks of the Sarina River, he saw a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and generously illuminated by the sun. The land was uninhabited, however, Gruerius decided to lay the walls of the castle here.

According to legend, when the construction was completed, a snow-white crane descended from the sky. The leader saw this as a good omen, and from that day on, the coat of arms of Gruerius and the modern city of Gruyères has been decorated with a crane.

Interesting fact! Historians believe that the Vandal leader settled on the hill around 436, however, the first mention of the settlement dates back only to the 11th century, at which time construction of the castle began and ended only in the 13th century. It is not known for certain whether the Counts of Gruyeres are descendants of Gruyerius. Probably the leader is a fictional character, and the region got its name from the word “Gruyère” - forester.

The landscapes of Gruyère in Switzerland, straight out of pictures, are mesmerizing and peaceful. The mountain lake is considered one of the most beautiful in the country; Friborg cows graze on its shores, which provide aromatic milk for the production of cheese and desserts.

Good to know! Residents and city authorities are trying in every possible way to preserve the aura of the Middle Ages, which is why the settlement is closed to vehicles.

In addition to interesting sights that span eight centuries, the city has a fairly busy life - guests are invited to restaurants serving fondue, raclette and, of course, desserts with thick cream.

Gruyere is a gastronomic region of Switzerland, where you can see how cheese is made. Those with a sweet tooth can enjoy a tour of the Cailler chocolate factory, which is located in nearby Broc.

Gruyère Cheese and the Cheese Museum

A visit to the attraction is a must when traveling to the city of Gruyères. The cheese factory is located a few minutes from the train station.

Good to know! The excursion is included in the Swiss Travel Pass. The cost of a full ticket is 7 francs. This price includes an audio guide and a small package of three types of cheese.

You can watch production at certain times:

from 9-00 to 11-00;
from 12-30 to 14-30.

Many tourists recommend planning an excursion in the morning - before 9-00, in order to catch the process of preparing the product. The museum has interactive video stands, but the impressions, of course, are not as vivid as those from visiting the factory.

In the first hall you can smell the aromas of mountain grass; cows feed on it. The audio guide will tell you that the animal eats up to 100 kg of grass every day and produces up to 25 liters of milk.

Interesting fact! An audio guide speaks with tourists throughout the entire excursion on behalf of a cow named Cherry.

The showroom has four vats with a total capacity of 4800 liters of milk. One container produces 12 heads of cheese, each weighing 35 kg. Before pouring milk into a container, specialists must take a sample.

The milk from the morning and evening milk yields is mixed in vats, heated, yeast and a special enzyme are added to start the curdling process, which lasts about 50 minutes. The formed curd is cut using knives located in vats and heated again at a temperature of 60 degrees for 45 minutes.

Then the mass is placed in special molds; a blue hose is used for this. There is a container under the mold where the whey flows and is fed to the piglets.

Interesting fact! Despite the fact that the preparation process is regulated, the specialist independently decides when to complete one stage and move on to the next. Thus, making Gruyère cheese is a creative process. To prepare 1 kg of product you need 12 liters of milk.

The premises are kept impeccably clean, each vat is thoroughly washed as soon as the cheese mass is removed from it. All wheels of cheese are identified and stamped with the date of production and the number of the cheese factory. After that, they are closed in molds and sent under pressure for 15-16 hours. The weight of the press is 300 kg, but gradually it increases to 900 kg. The process does not end there - after that the product is soaked in a saline solution for 20 hours.

The final stage is ripening in a special chamber where a certain temperature regime is maintained. The characteristic crust appears after three months, after which the cheese is moved to a room where the temperature is maintained no higher than 15 degrees. Here it is stored until sold.

The museum is located at: Gruyères, Place de la Gare, 3. You can visit it daily from 9-00 to 18-30.

There is a restaurant on the territory of the museum; it welcomes visitors for several hours longer. Souvenirs can be purchased in the store.

Ticket prices:

full – 7 francs;
children (up to 12 years old) – 6 francs;
family (2 full, 2 children) – 12 CHF.

Gruyere Castle in Switzerland is considered the second most visited in the country. First - . The castle in the city of Gruyères is built on the slopes of a hill, offering beautiful views of the Alps.

Many legends are associated with this place, however, historians still have not figured out the origin of the castle and the county. It is believed that the count's family settled here in the 11th century, however, the paintings presented in one of the halls of Gruyere Castle tell about the events of the year 400.

Interesting fact! The name of the castle is interpreted differently. There are two common versions, according to one of them, the name of the castle is associated with a crane, and according to the other, with the French word “Gruyère,” which means hunting area.

The Counts of Gruyere lived in the castle only until the 16th century, when the family became poor and the building became the residence of officials. During this period, the external and internal decoration changed - elements characteristic of the Baroque appeared.

In the 19th century, Gruyere Castle was practically destroyed and they wanted to demolish it, but it was bought by a wealthy local resident, Mr. Bovy. He involved his friends and together they restored the historical relic. The area adjacent to the castle was also restored.

At the beginning of the last century, Gruyere Castle again became the property of the canton in Switzerland and turned into a museum. Guests are offered an audio guide. In addition, the castle hosts exhibitions of modern painting.

Various rooms have been preserved in the palace:

Count's Hall

count's hall;
kitchen;
chapel;
bedroom;
music room;
hunting room;
room of the count's favorite.

Another legend is associated with this room - the count fell in love with a simple girl and even settled her in his castle. However, the legend is silent about how the count’s legal wife reacted to this fact.

There is a French garden next to the castle, but it is best to visit it in summer. The castle leaves a pleasant, cozy feeling; you want to come back here again.

Gruyere Castle can be visited every day from 9-00 to 18-00 from April to October and from 10-00 to 17-00 from November to March. It is recommended to allocate one hour for the tour.

Ticket prices:

full – 12 CHF;
teenage (from 15 years old) and student – 8 CHF;
children (from 6 to 15 years old) – 4 CHF;
family (2 adults and 3 children) – 25 CHF;
Children under 6 years old have free admission.

Giger Museum

A controversial but certainly noteworthy attraction in Gruyères, Switzerland is a museum dedicated to the Swiss artist Hans Rudolf Giger, who painted in the style of fantastic realism.

Interesting fact! The Oscar-winning film Alien featured Giger's work. Thanks to this, in 1980 the film received an award for visual effects.

What his friend said about the work of the Swiss artist - his paintings clearly show where a person comes from and where he goes. Pictures help to revive biological memory and take you into the very core of the human cell. The paintings demonstrate the genetic code and the process of protein synthesis.

In addition to paintings, the museum displays grotesques and sculptures, unusually shaped furniture, and models for science fiction films, including the film “Alien.” In one of the halls there is a special place - a small exhibition, separated by a curtain, displaying drawings of aliens. Guests over 18 years of age are allowed here.

After visiting the museum, tourists head to the bar, where they serve delicious meringue and cappuccino. Alcohol lovers can order schnapps.

The funicular takes tourists to a height of 2 km, to the peak of Le Moleson. Travel time is no more than a quarter of an hour. You can have a snack on the road - one restaurant is open in the middle of the road and the second is at the top.

You can climb to the top on foot, but in this case you will need comfortable, sports shoes and warm clothes - it is cold at the top. The ascent takes a little over an hour. Tourists note that the road is quite difficult, but comfortable - there are many cafes and toilets.

Good to know! Two-way travel – 35 CHF.

From the top there is a picturesque view of the entire French part of Switzerland - from Lake Leman to Mont Blanc.

first you need to take the train Zurich HB - Friborg - departs every hour, travel time is about 1 hour 20 minutes;
take the Friborg Gare - Bulle Gare bus, the journey takes just under half an hour;
then you should take the local train Bulle - Gruyères, the ride will only take 5-6 minutes.

The total cost of a one-way trip is approximately 75 francs.

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Gruyères stands out on the map of Switzerland for its amazing landscapes and special medieval atmosphere that has reigned here for seven hundred years. Despite its modest size, Gruyere (Switzerland) fascinates and captivates the most sophisticated tourists.

In the video, Gruyère looks even more beautiful than in the photo. Look and see.

Gruyère cheese is rightfully considered a true culinary treasure of Swiss gastronomy. This is one of the oldest varieties, produced in Ancient Rome. To prepare one circle of cheese weighing 35 kg, up to 400 liters of fresh, naturally Alpine milk are used. This cheese matures from five months to a year. Its fat content ranges from 45 to 50%. Real Swiss Gruyère cheese can be easily recognized by the image of a musician playing a horn on the stamp. But what can you replace Gruyere cheese with? After all, it’s not so easy to find it on the shelves of our stores.

Gruyère cheese has a specific sweet-salty taste with notes of dried fruits or nuts. The older the cheese, the more tart the taste becomes, with a pronounced “earthy” flavor. Cheese is used in traditional European cuisine for making fondue, baking, and it is also added to spaghetti and salads. Gruyère goes well with red wines. It is very difficult to replace Gruyère cheese, but the most persistent cooks, through long searches and experiments, still found options for replacing this cheese.

The French, for example, replace Gruyere in fondue with vegetable oil. Other chefs use other types of medium-fat cheese for this purpose. For the domestic culinary specialist, Swiss or Altai hard cheeses will be available. A more expensive variety, which can also serve as a substitute for Gruyere, for example, in salads and pastas, is the Italian Pecorino cheese. The taste of Bechamel sauce prepared with Pecorino will also be wonderful.

In baking, Gruyère is often used to make cheese muffins or cookies. What can you substitute for Gruyere cheese in baking? - you ask. Considering the further heat treatment and melting of the cheese, its original taste and aroma are somewhat lost against the background of the dish. The dish simply acquires a pronounced cheese aroma. Therefore, any medium-fat hard cheese you respect, for example, Cheddar or Jarlsberg, is suitable for baked delights.

For some reason, it is generally accepted that Gruyère can be replaced with Emmental cheese, but this is not entirely true. Emmental does not have a pronounced taste - neither salty nor sweet. Therefore, it can be used to replace Gruyère, perhaps again in baking.

Add grated gruyere to the custard. As a substitute, you can use hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Grana Podano.

In general, dear housewives, it is better to go shopping and find a unique, exquisite Gruyère than to replace it with another analogue. After all, even a small piece can make your dish unique and inimitable. In other words: to reason, you need to try!

Gruyère cheese is a fairly young variety, which traditionally got its name from the area of production. It's not as popular as cheddar or parmesan, but...

Swiss cheese "Gruyère": description, features, properties and interesting facts

From Masterweb

06.04.2018 14:00

Switzerland is famous not only for its watches and delicious chocolate, but also for its excellent cheese. This country has long established itself as a world producer of elite varieties of this dairy product.

Gruyère cheese is a fairly young variety, which traditionally got its name from the area of production. It is not as popular as cheddar or parmesan, but it definitely deserves special attention. Who knows, maybe this particular cheese will win your heart after the first bite.

Gruyere: interesting facts, description and origin

The cheese is made from the highest quality cow's milk, has a creamy yellowish color, a fairly dense texture and has no holes. An interesting fact, but the first documentary mentions of this variety date back to 1115, and from the beginning of the 17th century its official name, “Gruyère,” appears in records. Like most Swiss varieties, it was named after the area in which it is produced. Only those cheeses that are produced in the following cantons (settlement areas) can bear the name "Gruyère":

Nevshtal;
Fribourg;
Berne;

Nevertheless, this variety is considered young, because it received its official AOC status only in 2001 and from that moment on it was included in the register.

Another interesting feature of this cheese is that it has a French “brother”. French Gruyères include Comté and Beaufort. The distinctive features of this cheese are: a more delicate texture and the obligatory presence of holes. According to reviews, Gruyère cheese is in no way inferior in taste to the most famous Swiss varieties, which is why it belongs to the top class category and has elite status.

A find for real gourmets: the taste of the product

Gruyère can be classified as a sweet variety, however, like all cheeses, it has a salty taste. A distinctive feature is a pronounced creamy taste and subtle nutty tones. The taste of Gruyère cheese is greatly influenced by the ripening period: over time, it acquires sharp and piquant notes with clearly noticeable earthy undertones. The longer the aging, the more complex the bouquet of taste and aroma of the cheese becomes. Aging also changes the structure and consistency of the finished product: after 5 months, the cheese becomes uneven, harsh and slightly grainy.

Secrets of making and aging cheese

The manufacturing technology is quite simple:

The milk is heated to 34 degrees and combined with starter culture (thermophilic bacteria) and rennet. For making cheese, only copper containers are used.
Gradually, the mixture coagulates and is divided into two fractions: whey and curd mass.
The base is heated to a temperature of 54 degrees, and the cooking process begins. It usually lasts no more than two hours. The readiness test is carried out by checking the mass for stickiness and elasticity.
Then the mass undergoes filtration and a press, which help get rid of the remaining whey.
Next, the process of soaking the semi-finished cheese in a saline solution begins, which lasts 24 hours. During this time, the mass is only half saturated with salt.

At this point the cooking stage ends, and we end up with a tender, lightly salted semi-finished product. Next comes the equally intensive ripening process of Gruyère cheese:

The cheese is placed in storage, where a certain temperature and humidity are maintained throughout the ripening period.
For the first 10 days, the heads are constantly doused with saline solution and turned over, then this is done twice a week, and after that, for three months, only once a week.

The first quality control of the cheese takes place after 4.5 months, each head is checked. If everything is in order, then the product goes on sale; if not, it remains in storage for further ripening. Based on age, Gruyère is divided into five types:

young soft - 5 months;
semi-salted - up to 8 months;
salty - up to 10 months;
highest grade - from 1 year;
old - more than 15 months.

For every taste: features of types of Gruyère

Each cheese production area has its own subtleties of production and aging, so each type of Gruyère acquires its own unique taste and specific characteristics. Two types of cheese deserve special attention:

Alpage - This type is very popular among lovers of pure organic products. After all, it is done only in the summer and only in areas adjacent to the Swiss Alps.
Premier Cru is famous for its exceptional taste due to the fact that it matures exclusively in the Friborg caves under unique climatic conditions.

It is worth noting that this is quite an expensive pleasure; the price of Gruyere cheese in Moscow can reach 400 rubles per 100 grams. But believe me, it is worth the money, because it is not only incredibly tasty, but also extremely healthy.

Let's take a look inside: a detailed analysis of the composition

This cheese cannot be called dietary, because one third of it consists of animal fats. It is very rich in protein - 29% per 100 g of product, and the rest is water. But don’t be afraid of the fat content of Gruyère, because it’s mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids and essential amino acids. Another useful component is ash, which has excellent adsorbent and antitoxic properties. Like any dairy product, Gruyere cheese is very rich in calcium - more than 1000 mg per 100 g of product. You can also find the following useful components in the composition:

B vitamins;
phosphorus;
selenium;
sodium;
potassium;
magnesium.

Useful properties of cheese

The usefulness of this cheese increases in proportion to its age; the longer the aging, the more valuable the product. Firstly, it is an excellent source of the most easily digestible protein, which is 100% broken down by our body. Secondly, hard cheeses are a source of rare elements, fatty acids and, of course, vitamins. Let's consider the effect of Swiss Gruyère cheese on the body:

Increases the speed of cellular metabolism and regeneration processes. This significantly slows down aging and accelerates wound healing, for example, after surgery.
It has a good effect on the nervous system, improves memory and helps cope with depression. In addition, eating cheese has a beneficial effect on sleep.
Calcium strengthens bones and teeth, and also keeps muscles in working condition.
It has a beneficial effect on blood pressure and gives a lot of strength and energy.
When consumed regularly, it helps increase hemoglobin levels.

In addition, it is a fairly high-calorie and nutritious product, and therefore is recommended for pregnant women, children and the elderly.

Can cheese be harmful?

You should not eat Gruyère cheese if you have been diagnosed with the following diseases:

disorders of the kidneys (nephritis, pyelonephritis);
gastritis and increased acidity in the stomach;
hypertension and heart problems;
urolithiasis disease;
allergy.

Use of the product in cooking

This is a very versatile variety: it goes great with spaghetti, salads and even simple sandwiches. The cheese melts well and retains a viscous consistency for a long time, so it is indispensable in casseroles, julienne and fondue. Gruyère is excellent on its own and goes well with fruit and a variety of sweet wines.

What can you substitute for Gruyere cheese? If you like a special recipe, but your city has a problem with elite varieties of Swiss cheese, you can safely use cheddar, Parmesan or Pecorino - these varieties are most suitable as analogues.

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This city is considered the capital of fondue. But fondue would never have happened without Gruyère. And Gruyère would not have appeared without Gruyère. Does that last sentence seem crazy? Then let me clarify: Gruyère is both a cheese and a small town where this cheese was first produced.

But first, about the cheese.

In Gruyere there is a cheese factory called La Maison du Gruyere, where the production process of the cheese of the same name can be seen in a special museum. There is an entrance fee, but for Switzerland the price asked for entry is more than humane, and the ticket price includes several small pieces of cheese of different ages. First, you will be offered an exhibition that tells about the herbs of alpine meadows and the cows from whose milk this cheese is made. If you’re going to those places, I’ll give you the address:

La Maison du Gruyere

After this, you can go to a corridor separated by glass from the workshop where the cheese is produced. The production process, in general, is not much different from making standard cheese. First, the milk is heated to 34 degrees, the starter and rennet are added, which separates the whey from the curdled mass.

A special apparatus cuts the curd mass into small pieces and mixes it in the whey, which is subjected to more intense heating. At this time, the curdled mass acquires properties that ultimately allow it to become a monolithic whole with the help of presses, which are visible in the right half of the workshop.

After this, large pieces of cheese are immersed in brine, but now, as you can see, the brine sits idle: the process of making cheese takes several months, and it is kept in brine for only a day.

The longest stage of Gruyère production is ripening, where it is stored at a certain humidity and temperature, regularly turning and moistening with brine. The result is standard Gruyère heads weighing about 35 kilograms. This one, unfortunately, is not real, otherwise too many would try to pinch off a piece.

There was also a map of Swiss cheeses in the museum, but I am convinced that this is one big hoax. Everyone knows that Switzerland is one of the great cheese powers of Europe; sources mention almost 500 varieties of cheese that are produced here, and this is not in doubt. However, if you dig a little deeper, try to find these 500 varieties - and it turns out that there is cheese, but it... is not there. Gruyère and a dozen other well-known varieties are well-known, but you will find almost no mention of the rest! It’s the same story with cheese factories: they seem to exist, but they’re out there somewhere, and it’s impossible to get to them. Compare with France or Italy, where each village has its own type of cheese, unlike the others! dont know.

At the very end, of course, there is a store where you can buy not only cheese, but also ready-made fondue. The most popular type of fondue in these parts is called moitie-moitie. This roughly translates to “half-and-half” and refers to the ratio of Gruyère to Vacheron Fribourgeois cheeses. In addition to cheese, it contains wine, a thickener, and you can estimate the price yourself, given that 1 Swiss franc is now approximately equal to 1 US dollar.

You have already seen how Gruyère is produced these days, but cheese was cooked in copper cauldrons like these before the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

After getting to know Gruyère, you can take a walk around Gruyère. It’s beautiful here: where there are mountains, it’s always beautiful.

But it’s not just about the mountains: Gruyere turns out to be a small but very pretty town, and with a castle to boot. The road is paved with cobblestones and leads to the castle, framed by buildings as ancient as they are beautiful.

Small but cozy church.

At some point, however, all this decorous Middle Ages is rather unceremoniously interrupted by installations in the style of outrageous high-tech.

Here is a museum of the artist Giger, who created costumes for “Alien” and other science fiction films. As I understand it, the inside is about the same, if you are a fan, perhaps you should go there.

You can go inside the castle, or you can simply walk around its perimeter and look at the views at its foot. It's cute in places.

Usually in some places.

And the castle is powerful!

Here's what it is. The windows, of course, were cut through later, after the stronghold had lost its strategic importance.

Some more views of the surrounding area of Gruyères and the mountains. The place is nice, although quiet.

However, for many, “quiet” is an advantage, not a disadvantage, and I understand them. The Alien, created by the artist Giger, for example, managed to sip on Hollywood fame, but decided to settle here, and apparently for good reason.

In general, if you decide to come to Gruyères to see cheese production, be sure to take a walk.

You will not regret.

Traditional Swiss Gruyère cheese is a controlled origin product. That is, only cheese that is produced using certain technologies in a strictly defined place, namely in the cantons of Friborg, Jura, Vaud, and Neuchâtel, can be called this way. has a spicy, slightly nutty taste. If in the photo with the caption “Gruyère” you see cheese with holes, it means that this is the so-called French Gruyère.

There are several types of this cheese. The differences are determined, as a rule, by the aging period, which determines the taste of the product. Soft Gruyere cheese is stored for 5 months, semi-salted - 7 - 8 months, salted - 9 - 10 months, and premium Gruyere is stored for a year. There is also a special variety of this cheese - Alpine Gruyère. It is produced only in the summer months directly on high alpine pastures.

Unfortunately, Gruyère cheese is not always available, so you have to find analogues. The closest taste to it is Emmental cheese. Among Russian cheeses, “Altaisky” and “Swiss” cheeses would be a good substitute. It is worth remembering that the calorie content of Gruyère cheese is quite high, it is 413 kcal per 100 g of product. Therefore, those who adhere to a strict diet should consume this product in small quantities.