Le Gruyère AOP

Gruyère AOP (Gruyère), is a hard Swiss cheese named after the Swiss town of Gruyères, in Fribourg. It is a traditional, creamy, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. In 2001, Gruyère gained the "AOC Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (in English it means controlled origin designation), which became "AOP Appellation d'Origine Protégée" (in English: Protected Designation of Origin) as of 2013. This means that the entire production must follow the AOP specifications, from the milk production and collection to the maturing process. The natural, rusty brown rind of Gruyère is hard and dry. The cheese has a darker yellow hue compared to Emmental, yet its texture is more dense and compact. Gruyère offers a sweet and slightly salty taste. When young, the cheese is creamy and nutty, but as it matures, the texture becomes earthy and complex, marked by small cracks. A fully aged cheese, typically aged between 5 months to a year, exhibits small cracks and a grainy texture.