Swiss Cheese - It's Not Wholly Holey Quiz

Answer: Emmentaler

This is the classic Swiss cheese, the one I grew up with. Of course, I only saw slices - it is actually produced in wheels with a diameter up to 1 metre (40 inches) and a weight up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). The characteristic holes form during the fermentation process.

The name Emmentaler comes from the fact that it is made in a "Tal", or valley, of the river Emme in Bern canton. It has been given the designation AOP (standing for Appellation d'origine protegée), a Swiss (and European Union) indication that cheese must be made in that area to be called Emmentaler. Similar cheeses can be produced in other regions, but they are no longer allowed to describe themselves as Emmentaler.

Answer: Appenzeller

This hard cows' milk cheese is produced in the Appenzell region, in the northeast part of the country. It is an example of a brined cheese, one that is cured in a salt solution which encourages the formation of a rind. Different ingredients may be dissolved in the brine, affecting the flavor of the cheese. Over the 700 years during which there are records of this cheese being produced, each individual dairy has developed its own secret blend of herbs (sometimes including wine or cider as well), so Appenzeller cheese comes in a range of flavors.

It also can be aged for different amounts of time - the older it is, the stronger the flavor - which is indicated by the color of the label on the wheel. Silver label cheese, aged around 3 months, has a less intense spiciness than gold label, aged up to about six months; the strongest flavoring is in the cheese that has a black label, and has been aged at least six months, often up to a year.

Answer: Bündner Bergkäse

Bergkäse is German for mountain cheese, and this one comes from Switzerland's easternmost canton, Graubünden or Grisons. It is only produced using milk from cows that have grazed high in the mountains, where the grasses and flowers they consume give their milk a distinctive flavor.

The cheese is formed in wheels whose weight is in the range of 4kg to 8kg. The label carries the image of an ibex to denote that it comes from the designated region. The longer the cheese is matured, the darker its color becomes, and the more pronounced the herbal flavor.

Answer: Etivaz

Etivaz AOP is only produced between May and October, and in limited quantities by fewer than 100 cheesemakers. The raw milk is heated in copper pots over a wood fire, to start the process of producing a fruity/nutty tasting cheese that reaches maturity after it has aged for at least a year. Etivaz AOP Bio is aged for at least 30 months. Because it is extremely hard, it is most commonly shaved, and is often purchased in thin slices instead of rounds.

Answer: Le Gruyère

This is another traditional cheese which has been imitated around the world, but since 2001 has an AOP registration, meaning that the name can only be used for cheese produced in the designated cantons in the vicinity of the town of Gruyère. Its flavor and texture vary with age.

The young cheese is sweet and nutty, with a slight salty edge and a creamy texture. Older cheeses develop a stronger taste, sometimes described as earthy, and the texture becomes more grainy. To produce the highest quality of cheese, maturation must take place under specific conditions that approximate the conditions in the mountain caves where the style originated: humidity between 94% and 98% to produce the correct moisture content, and temperature between 13C and 14C (55-57F) to promote maturing into a smooth rather than crumbly texture.

Answer: Raclette

This semi-hard cows' milk cheese from Valais usually comes in a wheel of about 6 kg (13 lb). Traditionally, it was carried by cowherds moving animals into and around mountain pastures, who would warm it near their evening fire to soften it, and scrape off the melted bits onto their bread. Raclette refers both to the type of cheese, and this method of serving it, which is still popular as a social meal.

The melted cheese is accompanied by baby potatoes, pickled gherkins and onions, and some sort of dried meat or salami.

In recent times, an electric utensil has been developed that allows each diner to assemble their chosen combination, cover it with sliced raclette cheese, and heat their individual serving to allow the cheese to melt through the other ingredients.

Answer: Tête de Moine

The French name for this cheese translates into English as monk's head, a name whose origins are unclear; most explanations, however, definitely link the name to cheese-making monks in the canton of Jura, where it has been produced since at least as early as the 12th century.

The semi-hard cows' milk cheese is formed in cylinders, rather than flat wheels, and aged for at least two or three months on a wooden plank made of spruce. It is served by scraping a knife across the top of the cylinder to produce a curly shape.

In 1982, a nifty device called a girolle was invented, which has a sharp blade mounted at one end on a post at the centre of the cheese (down which it can slide as the cheese height decreases) and at the other to a post with a handle that can be moved around a grooved track outside the cheese, producing a beautiful twirl of cheese with a minimum of skill required.

Answer: Swiss Tilsit

In the middle of the 19th century, Otto Wartmann moved from the Emmental to the East Prussian town of Tilsit, where he learned to make a smear-ripened cheese (one which has microbe-laden solution rubbed over it as it matures). Some stories say he took the recipe with him, others that he acquired it there. What is certain is that, when he returned to the Emmental Valley in 1893, he brought with him a cheese recipe which he further refined (as local microorganisms differed from those of Tilsit), to develop the process now used for Swiss Tilsit. Due to its inter-regional development, it does not have a protected region designation.

Answer: Tomme Vaudoise

Made in the cantons of Vaud and Geneva, this is a soft cheese made from pasteurised cows' milk. It is a creamy cheese, reminiscent of a Camembert, with a rind that is usually covered in a white mould. It usually comes in small wheels (10 cm diameter, 100 g in weight is common), and is ready to be eaten after a ripening period of 1-2 weeks.

The longer you keep it before eating it, the sharper it will become.

Answer: Sbrinz

Sbrinz AOP is a full-fat cheese made from raw cows' milk, processed to produce an extremely hard cheese with a yellow rind, which is used in Swiss cuisine in a manner similar to that of Parmesan cheese in Italian cooking. It cannot be sold as Sbrinz cheese until it has matured for at least 18 months, with full flavor and texture developing after around 30 months.

The younger cheese can be sliced or shaved, while the fully mature cheese is usually served in chunks when presented on its own. Of course, it can also be grated and added to many dishes.