Cheese making is a scientific process that has never been easily regulated. Good quality cheese is more often that not, a result of sheer luck and a sign of experience from a dedicated cheese maker who wants to produce tasty cheese. Following analytical tests of cheese characteristics may help produce good cheese, but if you are after the good ol’ traditional cheese, pure luck is what you need.

It can be difficult to create standards for cheese because each kind has a unique range of characteristics, and a cheese that does not meet the requirement will not taste good and will be inferior. For example, a good soft blue cheese is high in moisture and high in pH, but cheddar is not.

There are certain regulations that exist to make sure that only authentic cheese are sold to consumers. 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 to be eaten by humans, extreme care is taken to make sure that the materials used are of the highest quality possible, most especially if the cheese is intended for export a stricter set of standards are implemented and should be met.

The Appellation of Controlled origin or appellation d’origine controlee is a label that means a product is not just made out of sheer luck, but bears high standards of a particular region that it was made from. Typically, food from a certain region must also be produced in a particular way to qualify for the appellation label there are national inspectors who will make sure that the food producers comply with the standards and maintain quality.

However, not all products in the market have the appellation of controlled origin label. Qualifying for such a label means that the government feels that the raw materials from which the food is made is of high production quality. 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. This particular cheese is creamy and pale, with small holes and a slightly 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 taste is also different from the regular Swiss, but neither too strong nor overpowering. That is why, the Gruyere cheese makes a great complement to quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. Gruyere cheese can be served sliced or grated, depending on your preference.

Always look for the cheese that exceeds production and state standards. Of course, serving a run of the mill cheese is a bad idea. So always check for the appellation of controlled origin seal. Get the Gruyere cheese today!

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