handmade // Show dairies in Switzerland
APPENZELL - Meglisalp, the dreamy Sennendoerflein in the Alpstein. | © Appenzellerland Tourism AI
Roßmarkt 23
DE-60311 Frankfurt a.M www.myswitzerland.com
Always follow your nose. Here you can look over the cheesemaker's shoulder and partly also lend a hand yourself.
Fresh Swiss milk from happy cows on lush meadows: The basic product is the same in all Swiss regions. But what comes out of 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 spicy Appenzeller, the melt-in-the-mouth Vacherin Mont-d'Or, strong cheeses like Sbrinz, racy ones like Gruyère or Tête de Moine, which is artfully scraped into rosettes. In Switzerland, cheese is not just cheese, but a living piece of folk and culinary culture.
Cheese dairy Les Martel - Gruyère (Jura & Three-Lakes Region)
A perfect opportunity to discover the different stages of making one of Switzerland's most famous cheeses is to visit the Les Martel cheese dairy. Through a glassed-in visitors' gallery, those interested can follow the work of the cheese-makers and enjoy a taste of Gruyère at the end! Open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sundays from 8 a.m. with free admission.
Maran Alpine Dairy - Chur Alpine Cheese (Grisons)
At first glance, the chalet with its brown and white facade on the Maran plain near Arosa looks like an ordinary vacation home. But this is where the local alpine cheese has been produced for 40 years. In summer, 400,000 liters of milk flow down the mountain daily via pipeline to the alpine dairy. It comes from the four surrounding alps: the Carmenna, the Maraner, the Sattel and the Prätscheralp. The milk is processed into the spicy Chur alp cheese. Visitors can buy edible souvenirs in the "Lädeli" or taste the specialties right on the spot in the bistro or on the large sun terrace. Open daily in winter from 10:00 to 17:00.
Cheese dairy run by the Murith family on the Tsermont Alp at the foot of the Moleson near Gruyeres | © Switzerland Tourism, swiss-image.ch/Andre Meier
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 is then turned into cheese can be followed from the platform on the second floor - from there, the master cheesemaker lets you look into the "Chessi". The showroom invites you to a cozy raclette meal by appointment. Open all year round from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 to 12.00, free admission.
Appenzeller Show Dairy (Eastern Switzerland/Liechtenstein)
The famous Appenzell cheese is produced in the Appenzell show dairy in the middle of the pristine pre-Alpine hilly landscape. The life of the Appenzell farmers and alpine dairymen is determined in many ways by age-old traditions. In the Appenzell show dairy in Stein, traditional customs and state-of-the-art cheese production come together in a successful blend. The journey leads from the craftsmanship of cheese making to the vastness and sounds of the Appenzell region. In the new show area of the demonstration cheese 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 herb mixtures and take them home as souvenirs. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; in summer until 6:30 p.m.
At the master cheesemaker's in Ticino - flower-yellow semi-hard cheese with a spicy alpine aroma
A piece of Ticino to take home: At the Gottardo cheese dairy in Airolo, guests make the spicy "Gottardo" or "Tremola" from milk from the San Gottardo region and under the guidance of experienced cheesemakers. Afterwards, the amateur cheese-makers take home a cheese mold that has already matured into a delicacy in the dairy's cellars. Cost: 50 Swiss francs for the guided tour and tasting, with your own cheese 160 Swiss francs (about 145 or 45 euros). Open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and also easy to get to: The cheese dairy is located just 200 meters from the A2 freeway exit Airolo and 50 meters from the valley station of the Pesciüm aerial cable car.
Show dairies - a treasure trove of cheese specialties.
