Story of the german cheese: Allgäuer Bergkäse

Talent poaching goes a long way back and as you could guess, also applied to cheesemaking.

In the early nineteenth century, Josef Aurel Stadler, member of the state parliament and cheese-dealer from Oberstaufen, recruited two master cheesemakers from Switzerland to create the first pillars of the cheese expertise in Weiler im Allgäu. The aim was to locally produce a Swiss-type cheese to avoid the complex and expensive importation of cheeses from Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. The cheesemakers were also involved in the maintenance of existing cheeses such as Bergkäse (mountain cheese).

Allgäuer Bergkäse, a hard cheese made of raw cow milk, is one of the few German dairy products registered as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the EU since 1997. Shaped as a large round loaf with a diameter of 40 to 90 cm and a height of 8 to 10 cm, it can weight up to 50 kilograms. A wide variety of microorganisms are used in the production process to deliver its dark yellow to brownish rind, light yellow curd with a firm but flexible consistency, and mildly aromatic and nutty taste.
It is usually enjoyed as an afternoon meal with a fresh crispy-crust bread, butter and a Bavarian beer!

Curious about the species (Brevibacterium, yeasts, Staphylococcus, Geotrichum, …) involved ? Contact us !

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