Handmade // Show dairies in Switzerland
Where the art of cheese is at home
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APPENZELL - Meglisalp, the dreamy Sennendoerflein in the Alpstein. | © Appenzellerland Tourism AI
Morgartenstrasse 5a
8004 Zürich www.myswitzerland.com
Always follow your nose. Here you can look over the cheesemaker's shoulder and sometimes even lend a hand yourself.
Fresh Swiss milk from happy cows on lush meadows: The starting product is the same in all Swiss regions. But what is made from it in the cheese dairies could not be more varied. A real treasure trove of cheese specialties are the show dairies, where visitors can look over the cheesemaker's shoulder.
There are over 450 types of cheese in Switzerland, including the world-famous Emmentaler, the tangy Appenzeller, the melt-in-the-mouth Vacherin Mont-d'Or, strong cheeses such as Sbrinz, racy ones such as Gruyère or the Tête de Moine, which is artfully shaved into rosettes. In Switzerland, cheese is not just cheese, but a living piece of folk and culinary culture.
Experience the craft of cheese making
If you want to find out more about the craft and secrets of Swiss cheese-making, you can experience the master cheesemakers live in numerous Swiss show dairies and look over their shoulders directly into the "Käsekessi". Cheese lovers and connoisseurs can experience first-hand how original Swiss Emmentaler AOP, Appenzeller, Le Gruyère AOP or Tête de Moine AOP are produced, cared for and nurtured - and can of course also enjoy the specialties on site. The show dairies are spread all over Switzerland.
Les Martel cheese dairy - Gruyère (Jura & Three-Lakes Region)
A visit to the Les Martel cheese dairy is the perfect opportunity to discover the various stages in the production of one of Switzerland's most famous cheeses. Visitors can follow the work of the cheesemakers through a glass gallery and enjoy a taste of Gruyère at the end! Open Monday to Saturday from 7.00 to 12.00 and 17.00 to 19.00, Sundays from 8.00 with free admission. www.fromagerie-les-martel.ch
Alpine dairy Maran - Chur Alpine cheese (Grisons)
At first glance, the chalet with its brown and white façade on the Maran plain near Arosa looks like an ordinary vacation home. But this is where the local alpine cheese has been made for 40 years. In summer, 400,000 liters of milk flow down the mountain to the dairy via pipeline every day. It comes from the four surrounding alps: the Carmenna, the Maraner, the Sattel- and the Prätscheralp. The milk is processed into tasty Chur alp cheese. Visitors can buy edible souvenirs in the "Lädeli" or taste the specialties on site in the bistro or on the large sun terrace. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter . www.sennerei-maran.ch
Modern Augstbord cheese dairy in Turtmann - 180 tons of Valais raclette a year
180 tons of raclette cheese are produced annually in the modern show dairy in Turtmann. The milk comes from cows in the surrounding area. How this milk is then turned into cheese can be seen from the platform on the second floor - from there, the master cheesemaker can peer into the "Chessi". The showroom invites you to enjoy a cozy raclette meal by prior arrangement. Open all year round from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 to 12.00, free admission. www.augstbordkaeserei.ch
Appenzeller show dairy (Eastern Switzerland/Liechtenstein)
The famous Appenzeller cheese is made at the Appenzeller show dairy in the heart of the pristine pre-alpine hilly landscape. The lives of Appenzell farmers and herdsmen are determined in many ways by age-old traditions. In the Appenzell show dairy in Stein, traditional customs and state-of-the-art cheese production combine to create a successful blend. The journey takes you from the craftsmanship of cheese-making to the vastness and sounds of the Appenzellerland. In the new show area of the show dairy with its cauldron and impressive cellar, bon vivants get a little closer to the secret of why Appenzeller cheese is the spiciest cheese of all. Nevertheless, the recipe for the herbal brine remains top secret. Visitors can create their own herbal mixtures and take them home as souvenirs. Open daily from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm; in summer until 6.30 pm. www.schaukaeserei.ch
From the master cheesemaker in Ticino - flower-yellow semi-hard cheese with an Alpine-spicy aroma
A piece of Ticino to take home: At the Gottardo cheese dairy in Airolo, guests make the tangy "Gottardo" or "Tremola" from milk from the San Gottardo region under the guidance of experienced cheesemakers. Afterwards, the amateur cheesemakers take home a cheese mold that has already matured into a delicacy in the dairy's cellars. Cost: 50 Swiss francs for the tour and tasting, with your own cheese 160 Swiss francs (around 145 or 45 euros). Open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and easy to reach: The cheese dairy is just 200 meters from the A2 freeway exit Airolo and 50 meters from the valley station of the Pesciüm cable car. www.caseificiodelgottardo.ch/kaesere
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Make your own cheese in Switzerland
Tradition and originality
In addition to the small cheese dairies in the valley, there are also numerous small alpine farms in the Swiss mountains that produce around 5,000 tons of alp cheese every year. The designation "alp cheese" is protected and requires that milk production and cheese-making take place directly on the alp. These specialties are therefore only produced in summer. Thanks to the fresh and varied herbs from the alpine pastures, the raw milk is particularly tasty and gives the alp cheese its typical spicy aroma. In some alpine cheese dairies, the milk is still originally heated over a wood fire, which contributes to the unmistakable taste with its smoke. This is how real rarities such as Le Gruyère d'Alpage AOP or L'Etivaz AOP are created. This hard cheese is only produced in just over a hundred alpine cheese dairies at an altitude of between 1000 and 2000 meters in the Vaud Alps from May to October. Sustainable alpine farming also serves to preserve biodiversity: only a clearly limited number of animals are allowed on the alpine pastures, so that the pastures remain healthy and intact even after over a hundred years of farming.
