Editing Gruyère cheese

{{Short description|Swiss medium-hard Alpine cheese}}
{{Redirect2|Gruyère|Gruyere}}
{{Use Oxford spelling |date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Gruyère
| image = File:Gruyere alpage th wa.jpg
| othernames =
| country = [[Switzerland]]
| region = [[Canton of Fribourg]]
| town = [[Gruyères]]
| source = [[Cattle|Cows]]
| pasteurized = No
| texture = 
| fat =
| protein =
| dimensions =
| weight =
| aging = 5–12 months (typical)
| certification = [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée (Switzerland)|AOC]] 2001–2013<br/>[[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[Appellation d'origine protégée (Switzerland)|AOP]] since 2013
}}
'''Gruyère''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|ɡ|r|uː|j|ɛər}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ɡ|r|uː|ˈ|j|ɛər|,_|ɡ|r|i|ˈ|-}}, {{IPA|fr|ɡʁɥijɛʁ|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-gruyère.wav}}; {{langx|de|Greyerzer}}, {{langx|it|Groviera}}) is a hard [[Swiss cheeses and dairy products|Swiss cheese]] that originated in the cantons of [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]], [[Vaud]], [[Canton of Neuchâtel|Neuchâtel]], [[Canton of Jura|Jura]], and [[Canton of Bern|Berne]] in [[Switzerland]]. It is named after the town of [[Gruyères]] in Fribourg. In 2001, Gruyère gained the {{lang|fr|[[Appellation d'origine contrôlée (Switzerland)|appellation d'origine contrôlée]]}} (AOC), which became the {{lang|fr|appellation d'origine protégée}} (AOP) as of 2013.

Gruyère is classified as a [[Swiss-type cheeses|Swiss-type or Alpine cheese]] and is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavour that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy, and complex as it matures. When fully aged (five months to a year), it tends to have small cracks that impart a slightly grainy texture. Unlike [[Emmental cheese|Emmental]], with which it is often confused, modern Gruyère has few if any [[Eyes (cheese)|eyes]],<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/signetbookofchee00quim |url-access=registration |quote=gruyere texture cracks grainy |title=The Signet Book of Cheese |last=Quimme |first=Peter |date=1976 |language=en}}.</ref> although in the 19th century, this was not always the case. The small cracks that can develop in Gruyère cheese are often referred to as "eyes". These eyes are round or irregularly shaped holes that are formed during the aging process. It is the most popular Swiss cheese in Switzerland and in most of Europe.<ref>Lortal, Sylvie, "Cheeses made with Thermophilic Lactic Starters", [https://books.google.com/books?id=uV2Oi0g_TB4C&pg=PA291 Chapter 16] in ''Handbook of Food and Beverage Fermentation Technology'', 2004, CRC Press, {{ISBN|0203913558|9780203913550}}.</ref>

==Uses==
Gruyère is used in many ways in countless dishes. It is considered a good cheese for baking, because of its distinctive but not overpowering taste. For example in [[quiche]], Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.foodsubs.com/Chesfirm.html|title=Cook's Thesaurus: Semi-Firm Cheeses|website=www.foodsubs.com|access-date=Apr 9, 2020}}</ref> particularly suited for [[fondue]]s, along with [[Vacherin Fribourgeois]] and [[Emmental (cheese)|Emmental]]. It is also traditionally used in [[French onion soup]], as well as in [[croque-monsieur]], a classic French toasted [[ham and cheese sandwich]]. Gruyère is also used in chicken and veal [[Chicken Cordon Bleu|cordon bleu]]. It is a fine [[table cheese]], and when grated, it is often used with [[salad]]s and [[pasta]]s. It is used, grated, atop [[le tourin]], a garlic soup from France served on dried bread. White wines, such as [[Riesling]], pair well with Gruyère. Sparkling [[cider]] and [[Bock]] beer are also beverage affinities.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

==Production==
{{multiple image
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|image1=Chaudière en cuivre de 800 litres.jpg
|image2=Maison du Gruyère - 02.jpg
|footer =Traditional production of Gruyère (left) vs industrial production (right)
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To make Gruyère, raw cow's milk is heated to {{convert|34|°C}} in a copper vat, and then [[curdling|curdled]] by the addition of liquid [[rennet]]. The [[curd]] is cut up into pea-sized pieces and stirred, releasing [[whey]]. The curd is cooked at {{convert|43|°C}}, and raised quickly to {{convert|54|°C}}.

The whey is strained, and the curds placed into moulds to be pressed. After salting in [[brine]] and [[smear ripened|smearing with bacteria]],<ref>Fox, Patrick. ''Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology''. p. 200.</ref> the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature, generally on wooden boards, turning every couple of days to ensure even moisture distribution. Gruyère can be cured for 3 to 10 months, with long curing producing a cheese of intense flavour.

[[Ziger|Sérac]], a whey cheese, is a historical by-product of the manufacture of Gruyère.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Produits?text=sérac#187 | title=Ziger / Sérac | publisher=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | accessdate=29 March 2023 | quote=Le sérac, dans cette acception, est un sous-produit de la fabrication des fromages à pâte pressée cuite, de type Gruyère ou Emmentaler | trans-quote=Sérac, in this sense, is a by-product of the manufacture of cooked pressed cheeses, such as Gruyère or Emmentaler}}</ref>

===Affinage===
[[File:Affinage_Gruyere_Cheese_in_Gruyères_Switzerland_by_Robbie_Conceptuel.png|thumbnail|The affinage cellar in the Maison du Gruyère, in Gruyères]]

An important and the longest part of the production of Gruyère in Switzerland is the {{lang |fr |[[Cheese ripening|affinage]]}} (French for 'maturation').

According to the AOC, the cellars to mature a Swiss Gruyère must have a climate close to a natural cave. This means that the [[humidity]] should be between 94% and 98%. If the humidity is lower, the cheese dries out. If the humidity is too high, the cheese does not mature and becomes smeary and gluey. The temperature of the caves should be between {{convert|13 and 14|°C}}. This relatively high temperature is required for excellent-quality cheese. Lower-quality cheeses result from temperatures between {{convert|10 and 12|°C}}. The lower the temperature, the less the cheese matures, resulting in a harder and more crumbly texture.

[[File:Gruyeres, Switzerland.jpg|thumb|upright=2|center|The landscape of the region of [[Gruyères]], marked by [[Dairy farming|milk economy]]]]

== Legal protection ==
[[File:Gruyere_suisse_meules_MIN_Rungis.jpg|thumb|upright|Rounds of Swiss Gruyère cheese on sale in a wholesale food market in France]]

===Switzerland===
In 2001, Gruyère gained the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (now designated [[Appellation d'origine protégée (Switzerland)|Appellation d'origine protégée]]) status. Since then, the production and the maturation have been strictly defined, and all Swiss Gruyère producers must follow these rules.

===France===
Although Gruyère is recognised as a Swiss Geographical Indication in the EU,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.tmdn.org/giview/gi/EUGI00269900767|title=Gruyère|work=European Union|accessdate=26 September 2021}}</ref> Gruyère of French origin is also protected as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the EU.<ref name=":0" /> To avoid confusion, the EU PGI Gruyère must indicate that it comes from France and must make sure it cannot be confused with Gruyère from Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web|work=European Union|accessdate=26 September 2021|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R0110|title=Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 110/2013 of 6 February 2013 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications [Gruyère (PGI)]}}</ref> It, therefore, is generally sold as "French Gruyère".

French Gruyère may be produced in an area much larger than the Swiss AOP area. The PGI documentation also requires that French Gruyère has holes "ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry", a significant departure from the Swiss original. Peter Ungphakorn, a Swiss local and an international trade expert, comments that the French [[Comté cheese]] could be a closer match to the Swiss version.<ref name=Ungphakorn>{{cite web |last1=Ungphakorn |first1=Peter |title=If Americans are confused about Gruyère cheese, blame the French |url=https://tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/01/13/confused-about-gruyere-blame-french/ |website=Trade β |language=en |date=13 January 2022}} <!-- Yes it is a blog, but it's former WTO Secretariat's blog --></ref>

=== United States ===
In 2021, a [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia|U.S. District Court]] ruled that the term "gruyere" had become a [[generic term]]<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Interprofession du Gruyère v. U.S. Dairy Export Council |vol=575 |reporter=F. Supp. 2d|opinion=627 |pinpoint= |court=E.D. Va. |date=December 15, 2021|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13987164477778851344
 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |quote= |postscript= }}</ref> for a certain type of cheese, and Swiss and French Gruyère producers' associations could not register it as a [[trademark]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gross|first=Jenny|date=2022-01-12|title=Is Gruyère Still Gruyère if It Doesn't Come From Gruyères?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/12/business/gruyere-cheese-us-court-ruling.html|access-date=2022-01-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Welch|first=John L.|title=E.D. Va. District Court Upholds TTAB Decision Finding|url=https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/trademark/1149186/ed-va-district-court-upholds-ttab-decision-finding-gruyere-generic-for-cheese|access-date=2022-01-16|website=[[Mondaq]]}}</ref> The [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]] affirmed that decision in March 2023.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Interprofession du Gruyère v. U.S. Dairy Export Council |vol=---|reporter=F. 4th|opinion=--- |pinpoint= |court=4th Cir. |date=March 3, 2023|url=https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/221041.p.pdf
 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |quote= |postscript= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/03/06/gruyere-cheese-court-ruling-american-french-swiss/|title= Can American-made cheese be called Gruyère? Yes, a U.S. court rules|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2023-03-06}}</ref>

Swiss Gruyère still has a protected [[certification mark]] in the US as "Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC", secured in 2013.<ref name=Ungphakorn/>

The FDA standards of identity for a "§ 133.149 Gruyere cheese" requires "small holes or eyes".<ref name=Ungphakorn/>

==Varieties==
<!--Varieties of Gruyère, not variants-->
[[File:Gruyère Premier Cru.jpg|thumb|upright|Gruyère from the brand/variety Le Premier Cru Switzerland]]
Gruyere (as a Swiss AOC) has many varieties with different age profiles, and an [[Organic certification|organic]] version of the cheese is also sold. A special variety is produced only in summer in the [[Swiss Alps]] and is branded as Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC Alpage.

Generally, one can distinguish the age profiles of mild/''doux'' (minimum five months old) and ''réserve'', also known as ''surchoix'' (minimum ten months old). In Switzerland, other age profiles can be found, including ''mi-salé'' (7–8 months), ''salé'' (9–10 months), ''vieux'' (14 months), and {{lang |de |Höhlengereift}} (cave aged), but these age profiles are not part of the AOC.

===Le Gruyère AOP Premier Cru===
Le Gruyère Premier Cru is a special variety, produced and matured exclusively in the canton of Fribourg and matured for 14 months in cellars with a humidity of 95% and a temperature of {{convert|13.5|°C}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vonmuhlenen.ch/index.php?c=02&p=02a&lg=en|title=Von Muehlenen|website=www.vonmuhlenen.ch|access-date=Apr 9, 2020}}</ref>

It is the only cheese that has won the title of the best cheese in the world at the [[World Cheese Awards]] five times: in 1992, 2002, 2005, 2015, and 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsfox.com/pte.mc?pte=061002030|title=von Mühlenen et Cremo SA concluent une alliance - Newsfox|date=Nov 20, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061120004602/http://www.newsfox.com/pte.mc?pte=061002030|access-date=Apr 9, 2020|archive-date=2006-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gff.co.uk/press-releases/le-gruyere-aop-premier-cru-crowned-world-champion-cheese-2015/|title=Le Gruyère AOP Premier Cru crowned World Champion Cheese 2015|website=The Guild of Fine Food|access-date=Apr 9, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821085054/https://gff.co.uk/press-releases/le-gruyere-aop-premier-cru-crowned-world-champion-cheese-2015/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gff.co.uk/press-releases/world-champion-cheese-2022-announced-as-le-gruyere-aop-surchoix/|title=The World Champion Cheese 2022 is announced: Le Gruyère AOP surchoix|website=The Guild of Fine Food|access-date=Feb 21, 2023|archive-date=February 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221110825/https://gff.co.uk/press-releases/world-champion-cheese-2022-announced-as-le-gruyere-aop-surchoix/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Similar cheeses==
[[L'Etivaz]] is a very similar Swiss hard cheese from the canton of Vaud. It is made from raw cow's milk and is very similar to aged Gruyère in taste. In the 1930s, a group of 76 Gruyère producing families felt that government regulations were allowing cheesemakers to compromise the qualities that made good Gruyère so special. They withdrew from the government's Gruyère program, and "created" their own cheese - L'Etivaz - named for the village around which they all lived. They founded a [[cooperative]] in 1932, and the first cheese cellars were built in 1934.<ref>[http://www.etivaz-aoc.ch/ L'Etivaz Producers Cooperative website] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

The French [[Brouère|Le Brouère]] cheese, made in nearby [[Vosges Mountains|Vosges]], is considered a variant of Gruyère.<ref>Ridgway, J., Weinzweig, A., & Hill, S. (2004). ''The cheese companion: The connoisseur's guide''. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press</ref>

{{lang |el |Γραβιέρα}} (''[[graviera]]'') is a popular Greek cheese which resembles Gruyère and is an EU [[Protected Designation of Origin]]. There are [[Naxos|Naxian]] varieties (produced from cow's milk) that tend to be milder and sweeter, and various ''gravieras'' from [[Crete]], which are produced from sheep's milk.

[[Kars gravyer cheese]] is a [[Turkish cuisine#cheese|Turkish cheese]] made of cow's milk or a mixture of cow's and goat's milk.<ref>{{cite web |title=Turkey's 10 Awesome Cheeses to Taste |year=2019 |website=Go Turkey Tourism |url=https://www.goturkeytourism.com/things-to-do/10-awesome-turkish-cheeses-you-have-to-taste.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610155322/https://www.goturkeytourism.com/things-to-do/10-awesome-turkish-cheeses-you-have-to-taste.html |archive-date=2020-06-10 |access-date=2025-04-18 }}</ref> Gruyère-style cheeses are also produced in the United States, with [[Wisconsin]] having the largest output, and in Bosnia under the name ''Livanjski sir'' ([[Livno]] cheese).

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Culinary Heritage of Switzerland}}
* {{annotated link|List of cheeses}}
* [[Swiss cheeses and dairy products]]
* [[Gruyère cream]], another dairy product from the same region
* [[Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana]] in Rome, known locally as {{lang|it|La Groviera}} (literally {{Transliteration|it|The Gruyère}}); so known because it is "full of holes", referring to the stereotype of Swiss cheese.

==References==
{{Reflist |30em}}

==External links==
* [https://gruyere.com/en/ Official website of Le Gruyère AOC]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706234756/http://www.kulinarischeserbe.ch/product.aspx?id=116 Gruyère cheese] in the online [[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] database.
*[http://www.robbwalsh.com/2009/02/war-of-the-cheeses/ An article] on the history and controversy of Swiss versus French claims to Gruyère cheese.

{{Subject bar |auto=y |s=Littell's Living Age/Volume 146/Issue 1886/Gruyere Cheese |portal1=Switzerland |portal2=Food}}
{{Swiss cheeses}}
{{Cuisine of Switzerland}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruyere (Cheese)}}
[[Category:Swiss cheeses]]
[[Category:Cow's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Smear-ripened cheeses]]
[[Category:Canton of Fribourg]]
[[Category:Brined cheeses]]