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Cheese making is a scientific process that has never been easily regulated. Usually, good quality cheese is a result of the dedication to make flavorful cheese by an experienced and perhaps a lucky cheese maker. Although good cheese can be produced by following analytical tests of cheese characteristics, traditional cheese is made with sheer luck alone.

Creating a set of standards for cheese is not easy because every kind has its own unique characteristics, and the cheese that does not fit within that range will either taste bad or be inferior. For example, good soft blue cheese has high moisture and pH content, but cheddar does not.

Certain rules are implemented in order to make sure that the consumer will buy only authentic cheeses. France, being one of the biggest natural cheese producers in history, started granting certain regions monopolies on certain types of cheeses. And because cheese is made for human consumption, extreme care is taken to make sure that the raw materials are of the highest quality, all the more if the cheese is intended for export it must meet particularly stringent quality control standards.

The Appellation of Controlled Origin or appellation d’origine controlee is a label that indicates that an agricultural product is from a specific region, maintaining a certain set of standards local to that region. Usually, food from a certain region is also produced in such a way that will make it qualify for the appellation label there are national inspectors who make user that the food producers comply with the standards provided.

However, not everything in the market bears the appellation label. Qualifying for it indicates that the government is confident that the raw materials used to produce a certain product is of the best production quality possible. This label has been established so that consumers can be sure that the products that they buy are not cheap counterfeits or knockoff versions.

Wines and cheeses are usually the items labeled with an appellation of controlled origin, and one particular type of cheese that has this distinct mark is the Gruyere Cheese. It is a creamy, pale cheese that has small holes and with a slight granular taste. Unlike other Swiss cheese, the holes of the Gruyere cheese rarely gets bigger than the size of a pea, with the holes widely dispersed within the cheese. Its flavor is very different from other Swiss cheeses, but is not too strong or overpowering. That means that the Gruyere cheese makes a very good ingredient for quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. Gruyere cheese can be served sliced or grated, depending on your preference.

For your next cheese and wine party look for the cheese that exceeds production and state standards. You would not want to serve your guests run of the mill cheese, right?. So always check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Get the Gruyere cheese today!

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