(27) Sbrinz, an ancient cheese tasty to its bones!

In these short days of the year, it is good to have some comforting food, full of taste and nutritious.

I propose to give you a description of this cheese below. For most of you this would be a discovery, you should try it, you will find a very interesting and tasty product.

Go to your favourite cheesemonger and ask for some.

A Temple of real tasty cheeses, people in the know will recognise it (2009)

Sbrinz

History

A Roman, Pliny the Elder, described “Caseus Helveticus” in his book “Naturalis Historia”. However, we are not really sure which Swiss cheese it was question of, suffice to say that it was a cheese from Switzerland, it was hard and was well appreciated fetching a very high price. The cheese was made in the Middle-Ages, and it was from the sixteenth century that it found a very profitable market in northern Italy. It was assembled for travel in Brienz and mules took it through alpine passes to Domodossola, in the Region of Piedmont, where it was known as “lo Brinzo”, thus it became Sbrinz.

Pope Clemente VIII enjoyed the cheese very much, he was the first of many important Italian figures to do so. The cheese kept being made, and has done so ever since, and its quality has been maintained and improved through time and experience. It gained Swiss AOC status in 2002.

Production area

The area of production of Sbrinz is in central Switzerland and is composed of the cantons of Lucerne, Obwald and Nidwald, Schwyz, Zoug, and part of Cantons of Argovia: District of Muri, and Berne: the communes of Langenthal, Lotzwill, Obersteckholtz. On top of these three dairies, Walde, Steinenbrücke, and Schönenberg, have attached milk production areas in the Canton of St-Gall: district of See-Gaster and the old district of Neutoggenburg. It is mainly in Central Switzerland with a few districts attached. The climate is alpine with very cold winters and moderate summers but with good rainfall and huge water reserves. The flora is very varied with high quality grass mixed with wildflowers, the place is perfect for summers grazing for cows and have been used extensively to this effect for a very long time. There are a few alpine dairies, but most are based in one of the valleys of the area.

Method of production

Note: there are many specific regulations concerning the cheese and the environment, including the animals, and I will resume them as best as possible.

Dairy cows are fed with non-fermented silage, fodder, green grass from the fields, the herd need at least 70% of the dry matter of their daily ration made up of fodder in all its form; all within the area of production. The milk obtained is untreated, refrigerated if necessary, and it has to be delivered within 15 hours and the dairy need to be at most 30km away; the milk must be used at the dairy within 21 hours of the first obtention. At arrival at the dairy, still not thermally treated in any way, it is skimmed, naturally or mechanically, and then poured into copper vat with lactic starters and then rennet, having been brought up to temperature. The resulting curd mass is then cut down to the size of grains of rice, mechanically or by hand, and the mix is then brought up to between 54 to 57oc. The firm grains are then moulded, and pressure is firmly applied for at least 10 hours. The cheese is kept in the mould until the next stage is carried out, this is to ensure proper forming of the shape. When ready it is then put into a bath of brine at a temperature of 10 to 15oc for at least 15 days; when judge necessary timing is reduced to 10 days but the cheese will be dry salted afterwards. Just after the cheese have been taken out of the bath, it is washed with a brush or rough cloth and the base of the wheel is rounded by hand to make both top and bottom uniform. The cheese is then moved to the maturing cellar where it is first put at 12 to 18oc for at least 20 days when the cheese is dried and brushed. A thin layer of fat sweat on the rind and is brushed with a cloth once a week. Maturing is carried out with each wheel vertical at a temperature of between 9 to 14oc with 60 to 75% relative humidity, each wheel is turned and brushed weekly with frequent quality checks concerning the state of the rind. The cheese must be matured within the area of production for the first twelve months, and it needs to be matured for at least 16 months before commercialisation is allowed. Each wheel is judged on four points, eyes, paste, aroma, outside look and maturation outlook, first at 11 months of maturing and then further on if deemed necessary and usually before commercialisation approval and certification. Each wheel receives a casein mark of 6cm at pressing denoting the dairy number and the year of production with the specific number of the wheel, with next to it the month and day when the cheese was made.

Taste and look

It is a very large tome, and it is sold whole, portioned or blocks, “rebibes” or sliced curls, and grated like for cooking. It is a very hard cheese where some grains can be felt. The taste is complex with some fruity and spicy notes completed by a touch of roast on a base of cream and salt with some acidity and some chicory flavour, the taste is made by the long maturing and low water content, giving a long aftertaste for matured products.

Safe keeping

To be consumed within two weeks preferably, wrap in cheese paper and add cling film on top but aerate well before use, and keep in refrigerator.

Statistics

26 producers registered to the consortium in early 2020.

And remember, as always, give life to your taste buds, and above all, enjoy real cheese.