Mountain cheese
As mountain cheese is called cheese which in the mountains is made. This includes products from mountain agriculture , the cultivation of alpine meadows and milk processing by local producers in dairies. About the type or style of the called mountain cheese product from the concept says little, it usually these are hard cheese or semi-hard cheese with little or no holes, mostly with natural rind, but it can also be sliced cheese and soft cheese under that name.
history
In earlier times, actually, almost all produced in summer in mountainous areas cheese mountain cheese in the sense that they on the mountain , that is on the Alp were gekäst. This happened during the summer months, depending on the region, between approx. 70 and 120 days when the cows grazed the high mountain meadows. The animals were then almost continuously outdoors and found particularly juicy and rich food with plenty of herbs , which resulted in the special quality and spicy taste of the mountain milk . Since the transport options were limited, it made sense to cheese this milk and at the same time concentrate and preserve it by removing water so that it could be used in the barren winter time. After the Almabtrieb , the quality of the forage deteriorated and the milk yield of the cows decreased. Most of the time in winter it was just enough for the farm to be self-sufficient, and then cheese was hardly ever made.
Typical cheeses
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National
Legal situation according to European law
In the EU, the term mountain cheese is not protected in isolation as a protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) or as a guaranteed traditional specialty ( PDO) . Under EU law, the use of the PDO seal is permitted if the provisions for some registered mountain cheeses are observed. In Germany and Austria, producers of real mountain cheese in some regions have recently begun to have the names of their cheeses protected and / or to have their authenticity confirmed by a seal from a monitoring association or similar (designation of origin ) in order to give consumers the To enable the acquisition of high-quality alpine cheese far away from the dairies of origin and to protect your product from cheap imitations.
Germany
In Germany, the name Bergkäse may be used for a standard variety according to the Cheese Ordinance (KäseV). The designation as mountain cheese is tied to compliance with certain manufacturing regulations and a certain quality. To produce may milk and products thereof buttermilk , cream (cream), sweet whey , acid whey and whey cream be used (whey); the thickening may only take place by removing water; in addition, only certain spices may be used in the production, including in the form of spice preparations, and the corresponding aromas with natural aroma substances, which are specified separately. The minimum fat content is full fat, the minimum dry matter content is set at 62%.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, both alpine cheese and mountain cheese are protected terms according to the Mountain and Alp Ordinance SR 910.19 of November 8, 2006. The Bernese Alpkäse and the Valais Alpkäse also have the AOP seal . Bündner Bergkäse is produced exclusively in village cheese dairies at over 1000 m.
literature
- Elke Meinhard: About the flavor composition of cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano , Allgäuer Bergkäse and Dutch Gouda Würzburg 1988 DNB 891085661 (dissertation University of Würzburg 1988, 189 pages, 2 microfiches: 24 ×).
- Brigitte Engelmann, Peter Holler: The gourmet manual cheese. Ullmann, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-8331-5023-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ List Of Registered Names under Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 and Regulation (EEC) No 2082/92. ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. European Commission (PDF document, English, Annex II, pp. 34–36; 230 kB).
- ↑ Ordinance on the «Berg» and «Alp» labels for agricultural products and processed agricultural products. (PDF file; 104 kB).
