Bio-St. Galler-Bergkäse

The Bio-St. Galler-Bergkäse is produced in the Berghof cheese dairy in Ganterschwil using organic milk from the surrounding area in line with Bio Suisse guidelines. Its long storage time gives it its wonderful tangy aroma.

Type: Semi-hard cheese

• Ingredients: Made from fresh, organic milk
• Shape: Round, diameter 30 cm
• Weight: Truckle 7 kg
• Rind: Smear-ripened
• Holes: Pea-sized
• Flavour: This racy, full-fat, semi-hard cheese will please cheese lovers everywhere.
• Fat content: Full fat, min. 45 % F/DM
• Firmness, WFF: Semi-hard, 57 – 63 %
• Ripening: 3 – 5 months
• Shelf life: 4 weeks
• Suitable for: Sliced cheese, fondue, Raclette, cooked cheese dishes
• ID: CH 5052, Bio-Label 30313 Bio Suisse
• Culinarium Seal of Approval Toggenburg · Suisse Guarantee

St. Galler Alpkäse – from Sarganserland, Werdenberg in the Rhein Valley and Toggenburg. – St. Gallen cheese was made for the home market through the 20th century, while other regions were aggressively marketing their cheeses for hundreds of years. This has allowed St. Galler cheese to avoid some of the uniformity of other areas.

The bacterial cultures used are cultivated by each “Älpler” (cheese maker) in St Gallen, which make them unique to themselves, so that no cheese from one tastes like the cheese from the other, even though they carry the same name.

St. Gallen cheese is made out of a mixture of cooled evening and fresh morning milk. It is mixed to achieve 50 to 54% fat in the final product (Alpkäse requires at least 45% fat dry weight). It is pressed into 12 inch diameter wheels, which produces a 11 to 15 1/2 pound cheese. After salt baths and ripening, St. Galler comes to market in two to three months, with some, small holes throughout its body.

It is eaten for “Zmorge” or “Znacht,” (breakfast or supper) and makes a great dessert cheese with a glass of wine. Most of the cheese is sold locally, while some may be found in larger city supermarkets in Switzerland.

sources:

http://www.cheese.ch/index.php?id=50&tt_products[uid]=89&L=2

http://germanfood.about.com/od/Milk-Glossary/a/Alpkaese-Cheese.htm