Cheese making is a scientific process that has never been easily regulated. Good quality cheese is more often that not, a result of sheer luck and a sign of experience from a dedicated cheese maker who wants to produce tasty cheese. Following analytical tests of cheese characteristics may help produce good cheese, but if you are after the good ol’ traditional cheese, pure luck is what you need.
Developing a certain set of standards for cheese can be difficult because every kind has its own distinct range of characteristics, and a cheese that fairs too far from this range will taste bad and be inferior. For example, cheddar cheese is low in moisture and pH content, while a good soft blue cheese is the total opposite.
There are certain regulations that exist to make sure that only authentic cheese are sold to consumers. France, being a great contributor to the production of natural cheeses, has been granting certain regions monopolies on the production of certain types of cheeses. And because cheese is made to be eaten by humans, extreme care is taken to make sure that the materials used are of the highest quality possible, most especially if the cheese is intended for export a stricter set of standards are implemented and should be met.
The Appellation of Controlled Origin or appellation d’origine controlee is a label that indicates that an agricultural product is from a specific region, maintaining a certain set of standards local to that region. Consequently, food from a certain region must also be produced in a particular way in order to qualify for an appellation of controlled origin there are national inspectors that visit and make sure that food producers comply with the given standards.
However, not everything in the market bears the appellation label. Qualifying for such title implies that the government is confident that the product is made with the best raw materials and production standards possible. The appellation label has been established in order to assure the consumers that what they buy is authentic and is not cheap counterfeits or knockoff versions.
Cheeses and wines are most often labelled with an appellation of controlled origin, and one particular type of cheese that bears this distinct mark is the Gruyere cheese. This particular cheese is creamy and pale, with small holes and a slightly granular taste. But unlike most Swiss cheeses, the holes of the Gruyere cheese are no bigger than the size of a pea and are widely spread within the cheese. Its taste is also different from the regular Swiss, but neither too strong nor overpowering. That makes the Gruyere cheese a very great addition to quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. You can have the Gruyere cheese sliced or great, depending on your mood.
Next time you feel like throwing a cheese and wine party, look for the kind of cheese that passes production and state standards. Of course, serving a run of the mill cheese is a bad idea. So always check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Get the Gruyere cheese today!
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