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. Although good cheese can be produced by following analytical tests of cheese characteristics, traditional cheese is made with sheer luck alone.
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, good soft blue cheese has high moisture and pH content, but cheddar does not.
There are certain regulations that exist to make sure that only authentic cheese are sold to consumers. France, one of the pioneers in making natural cheeses, started granting certain regions monopolies on the production of certain kinds 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 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 all products in the market have the appellation of controlled origin label. Qualifying for such a label means that the government feels that the raw materials from which the food is made is of high production quality. This label has been established so that consumers can be sure that the products that they buy are not cheap counterfeits or knockoff versions.
Wines and cheeses usually bear the appellation of controlled origin label, and one particular type of cheese that has this distinct mark is the Gruyere Cheese. It is a creamy, pale cheese that has small holes and with a slight granular taste. Unlike most Swiss cheeses, the holes found on Gruyere cheese are about the size of a pea and are widely immersed within the cheese. Its flavor is very different from other Swiss cheeses, but is not too strong or 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 check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Order Gruyere cheese today!
Read more articles on Gruyere Cheese.
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