In the Swiss Alps, Gruyère Cheese is a Way of Life
April 17, 2025 | 1 min to read
Cheesemaker Nicolas Schmoutz utilizes lyre-shaped blades to cut curd made from coagulated milk, inviting visitors to help while avoiding the equipment. He then transfers the finely diced curd into molds, applying hydraulic pressure to release whey. In another room, cheese wheels soak overnight in a 15-year-old salt bath that has never been changed, as Schmoutz values the necessary microbes for developing the rind and enhancing flavor.
Lyre-shaped blades sweep through just-cultured milk that’s been coagulated with rennet to the consistency of pudding. The sharp strings cut the curd. Cheesemaker Nicolas Schmoutz encourages visitors to plunge carefully washed hands into the vat, avoiding the treacherous mechanism, called a tranche-caillé.
Once the curd is finely diced, Schmoutz pumps the vat’s contents into round molds, which are pressed by hydraulic force, whey streaming out. In another room, new wheels soak overnight in a salt bath. This dairy is 15 years old, and the bath water has never been changed. “We keep it clean but not sterilized,” says Schmoutz. “There are microbes in there we need for the rind and the taste.”
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