Culture Magazine

THE HOT LIS T 202 3 culturecheesemag.com 47 the possibility of establishing guidelines that will benefit everyone involved. "We encourage GI holders to create a genuinely unique name by combining the name of their region with a type of cheese, just as many have successfully done in Europe," he says, pointing to Mozzarella di Bufala Campania and its generic "mozzarella" as an example. Though the Swiss and French seem more concerned with their proprietary rights as the original makers of this historic product, there's also the matter of money. It stands to reason that a consumer reaching for a block of American gruyère is a consumer not reaching for a block of European Gruyère… right? "This is purely fantasy," says Auricchio. "There are markets for different things at different prices. If their cheese is superior and appeals to the American consumer, they will sell more. Their pride is going to be hurt, but only their pride. Not their bottom line." Unsurprisingly, Castaneda agrees: "The Swiss and French producers of Gruyère are free to compete on the same level playing field … [they] were the ones looking to tilt the balance," he says. "The US produces plenty of parmesan in this country, yet Italy exports tremendous volumes of Parmigiano Reggiano to this market … Italy's selling more parmesan than ever in this country. The Swiss and French Gruyère producers have similar opportunities to benefit from our market here." It's a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats argument, one that American producers have plenty of examples of. "Very, very little Asiago comes from Italy," Auricchio says. "Asiago has become a very popular cheese in the United States because of companies like ours, or Sartori, so really Italy has done nothing to create the business for Asiago." But, as is true with a cover song, this equation only works if the consumer is aware of the original version. THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT There's a lot of talk of the consumer in these debates—confusing the consumer, guiding the consumer, clarifying for the consumer. Are we selling consumers short? Artisan cheese is, after all, all about taste, and taste is inherently, deeply individual. You like what you like, no matter who made it. Though it's probably easier for someone on the winning team to say so, Ludy is ready to put his faith in people to buy the cheese that's right for them. "A consumer looking for traditional Swiss or French Gruyère will know to look for it and to take things such as appellation badges into account," he says. If you'll permit me to stretch the music analogy one step further, this scenario brings to mind Taylor Swift, who is currently recording new versions of her old albums to divert income from her former label. I'm ashamed to say I still listen to the originals. The new "Taylor's version" songs have an uncanny valley quality to them, like fake meat, or vegan cheeze. Some Swifties opt for those out of loyalty, just as certain Americans prefer to buy from beloved farms and makers at home. But for some, it doesn't matter how close the copies get—there's nothing like the real thing, baby. c ■ Made in cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, administrative district of Jura bernois; and in the following communes of the canton of Bern: Ferenbalm, Guggisberg, Mühleberg, Münchenwiler, Rüschegg, and Schwarzenburg ■ 70 percent of cattle forage f rom the farm ■ No silage (fermented grass or grain) ■ Permitted foods: grass, green rye, oats, green maize, fodder mixtures of vetch, rapeseed, raw potatoes, f ruits with pips, chopped maize, leaves and collars of f resh beetroot, wheat bran, dry beet pulp, cereals, oats, hay, straw ■ Milk delivered to dairy twice a day ■ No additives, preservatives, or growth hormones used ■ All milk traceable to specific farm ■ Milk sourced maximum 12.4 miles from dairy ■ Milk used within 18 hours of milking ■ Only raw milk used ■ Milk heated in open copper vats ■ Curds pressed minimum 16 hours ■ Aged in Switzerland at 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, on unpolished spruce shelves ■ Wheels rubbed with salt and turned daily at start of aging ■ Aged at least 5 months ■ Round wheels with smeared crust, uniformly brownish, with a slightly convex heel ■ Composition 49 to 53 percent fat, 34.5 to 36.9 percent water, 1.1 to 1.7 percent salt ■ Holes in cheese desirable but not required; paste slightly damp, springy, not crumbly, ivory in color ■ Salty flavor with f ruity notes LE GRUYÈRE AOP To get Switzerland's official AOP stamp, cheesemakers must follow a couple of rules… OK, more than a couple: PHOTO: ©Le Gruyère AOP

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