🧀 Emmental

Emmental is a ripened hard cheese. The Codex Alimentarius standard (CXS 269) describes it as made from cows' or buffaloes' milk, with an elastic, sliceable body, regular gas holes from cherry to walnut size (mostly 1–5 cm) and a typically mild, nut-like, sweet flavour. ¹

Under the standard, fat in dry matter is at least 45% and dry matter is 60–67% depending on fat content. The cheese is made with thermophilic lactic acid bacteria, and the secondary (lactate) fermentation is carried out by propionic acid bacteria; the curd is heated after cutting to a temperature well above the coagulation temperature (about 50 °C with traditional technology). Ripening is normally from 2 months at 10–25 °C, or at least 6 weeks under alternative conditions. It is made as wheels and blocks of 40 kg or more, with a hard, dry rind or rindless. ¹

Swiss Emmentaler AOP, according to Emmentaler Switzerland, is made from fresh raw milk processed within 24 hours, and silage feed is prohibited. Wheels are 80–100 cm across and weigh 75–120 kg, and ripening lasts at least 4 months. Agroscope gives the Emmental region of Switzerland as its origin. In France, Emmental français est-central and Emmental de Savoie are registered as PGI. ²³⁴⁵⁶

Agroscope, the Swiss federal agricultural research centre, dates its origin to the Emmental of the 13th century. The first valley dairies, from about 1815, spread production across the year and beyond the canton of Bern. Today Emmentaler Switzerland is made in Aargau, Bern, Glarus, Lucerne, Schwyz, Solothurn, St Gallen, Thurgau, Zug, Zurich and parts of Fribourg, about 32,000 tonnes a year. ⁴

Under the Swiss rules, farm and dairy lie at most 20 km apart, and a whole wheel of around 100 kg takes 1,200 litres of milk. Only milk, rennet, native cultures, water and salt are allowed. Sold as classic or mild it is at least 4 months old, as Réserve at least 8 months, and cave-aged at least 12 months, with a dark brown to black patina on the rind. ²⁴

Why it matters to you. "Emmental" alone can come from many countries and may be younger and made differently. For the Swiss cheese look for the AOP mark, and use the age on the label to judge how nutty or spicy it will taste. ¹⁴