Making cheese has never been an easily regulated, scientific process. 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.

Creating a set of standards for cheese is not easy because every kind has its own unique characteristics, and the cheese that does not fit within that range will either taste bad or be inferior. For example, cheddar cheese is low in moisture and pH content, while a good soft blue cheese is the total opposite.

Certain rules are implemented in order to make sure that the consumer will buy only authentic cheeses. France, one of the pioneers in making natural cheeses, started granting certain regions monopolies on the production of certain kinds of cheeses. Since cheese is made for human consumption, grate care is taken to ensure the quality of the raw materials used, especially if the cheese is made for export strict standards should be met and satisfied.

The Appellation of Controlled origin or appellation d’origine controlee is a label that means a product is not just made out of sheer luck, but bears high standards of a particular region that it was made from. 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. This label has been established so that consumers can be sure that the products that they buy are not cheap counterfeits or knockoff versions.

Cheeses and wines are most often labeled with an appellation of controlled origin, and one particular type of cheese that bears this distinct mark is the Gruyere Cheese. It is a creamy, pale cheese that has small holes and with a slight granular taste. Unlike other Swiss cheese, the holes of the Gruyere cheese rarely gets bigger than the size of a pea, with the holes widely dispersed within the cheese. Its flavor is very different from other Swiss cheeses, but is not too strong or overpowering. That is why, the Gruyere cheese makes a great complement to quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. You can have the Gruyere cheese sliced or great, depending on your mood.

Always look for the cheese that exceeds production and state standards. Of course, serving a run of the mill cheese is a bad idea. So check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Order Gruyere cheese today!

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Tags : Cheese, Cooking, desserts, dining, Recipes
Categories : Cooking