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Gruyere Cheese: Delightfully the Best Quality Cheese

8th August, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Cheese making is a scientific process that has never been easily regulated. Quality cheese is often the sign of an experienced, and perhaps a very lucky cheese maker determined to make flavorful 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.

It can be difficult to create standards for cheese because each kind has a unique range of characteristics, and a cheese that does not meet the requirement will not taste good and will be inferior. For example, cheddar cheese is low in moisture and pH content, while a good soft blue cheese is the total opposite.

Regulations exist in order to assure the consumer that the cheese he will purchase is authentic. 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.

Not all products bear the appellation of controlled origin 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.

Wines and cheeses are usually the items labeled with an appellation of controlled origin, and one particular type of cheese that has this distinct mark is the Gruyere Cheese. Gruyere cheese is a creamy, pale cheese with small holes and a slightly granular texture. 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 taste is also different from the regular Swiss, but neither too strong nor overpowering. That means that the Gruyere cheese makes a very good ingredient for 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. You would not want to serve your guests run of the mill cheese, right?. So always check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Get the Gruyere cheese today!

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