瑞士
——芝士王国

David Bowden travels to the home of famous cheeses to discover medieval villages surrounded by lush green pastures beneath a backdrop of the snow-capped mountains of the Swiss Alps.

For a small, land-locked country, Switzerland delivers more than its size suggests in terms of cool things to see and do and enticing products to eat and drink.

Switzerland is undoubtedly one of Europe's coolest travel propositions; a European country that many foreigners want to visit. It's hard not to be mesmerized by snowy peaks, expansive farmlands and scenic glacial lakes. A green and clean image ensures the availability of superb produce and gourmet delights prepared by some of the world's most experienced and classically-trained chefs.

Swiss cheese is sourced from contented cows grazing on lush green grass制作瑞士芝士的鲜奶源自悠然咀嚼肥美鲜草的奶牛。

瑞士是著名的芝士故乡。在积雪盖顶的瑞士阿尔卑斯山脉下，戴维·博登发现了一些坐落于葱郁草场之中的中古乡村。

Cheeses and cured meats are available throughout Switzerland在瑞士所有地方都能品尝到芝士和腌肉。

While the culinary world would be far less interesting without Swiss cheeses and chocolates, Switzerland contributes many other wonderful gourmet products. Rősti and fondue are as famous as the towering peak of the Matterhorn while in the Valais, raclette is a specialty cheese served heated (semiliquid style) with potatoes, bread and pickled onions. However, it is often the lesser-known regional favourites that make travelling through Switzerland so rewarding.

Combine all this with the country's unique and luscious wines and a gourmet tour of Switzerland is something everyone must do at least once in their life.

With over 450 unique types of cheese, dedicated cheese lovers or turophiles won't go hungry in Switzerland; surely the unoff i cial land of cheese. They can sample cheese produced from cows or goat's milk, hard cheese to soft cheese and those that are gentle on the nose or those that are extremely pungent. Three of Switzerland's most famous cheeses are Emmenthaler, Gruyère and Appenzeller and it was the districts where these three cheeses are made that formed the basis for my food and wine trail around Switzerland.

An historic dairy in Emmental一间历史悠久的艾蒙塔制酪场。

KlNG OF CHEESE

After touching down in Zurich it's very straightforward to get onto Switzerland's famous railway network as the train station is at the bottom of the airport concourse. Trains regularly head to the southwest and the capital Bern. Located on a big loop in the Aare River, the capital dates back to the 12th century with much of the old city protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bern is the closest city to the rolling rural hills where Emmentaler cheese is produced. Having long been a lover of nutty Emmentaler cheese (it has a hint of hazelnut) it was with great excitement that I caught a train and bus the next morning to the village of Affoltern im Emmental (Affoltern i. E.) one hour away from Bern.

Here it is possible to experience four generations of cheese production including the Küherstock dating back to 1741 through to the modern day show diary, restaurant and shop. Not only is it possible to taste a range of Emmentaler AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) cheeses but visitors can also make a wheel of cheese. The region is what most would assume Swiss farmland to be like– expansive rolling hills, mooing cows and lush emerald green grass.

Farmers of the Emme Valley in the Canton of Bern have the making of Emmentaler cheese down to a fi ne art as their forefathers mastered the skill of producing the 'cheese with the holes in it' a long time ago and it is still made the same way. Its production has been dated back to the 13th century.

There are many ingredients that go into a wheel of Emmentaler cheese including milk produced from cows grazing on lush herb-rich grasses, the natural treatment without pasteurisation of the milk (that is, fresh untreated milk) and special natural rennet and bacteria cultures which encourage fermentation.

During the minimum 120-day maturation period, propionic acid fermentation causes carbon dioxide to form within the maturing cheese. However, the rind on the outside of cheese prevents this gas build up from escaping and enables the famous holes to form naturally. Emmentaler has been described as: 'like a baby; soft, warm and alive'.

There isn't just one Emmentaler cheese but several and mostly based upon the age of the cheese.

(left) Cheese being made（左）制作芝士。

(right) Château de Gruy è res（右）格鲁耶尔城堡。

MEDlEVAL GRUYÈRES

Many may be familiar with the rich nutty fl avour of Gruyère cheese but maybe less familiar with the district where it is produced. After consulting my guidebook to discover that Gruyères was a medieval village strategically perched on top of hill, it appeared to be an ideal stop on my rail journey around Switzerland.

Visitors to the town of Gruyères don't have to travel far to enjoy the delicious cheese as the Maison du Gruyère demonstration dairy, restaurant and gift shop is located immediately opposite Gruyères train station.

There, I was informed that the cheese's full name is Le Gruyère AOC which is a guarantee of an origin similar to the French wine system. Visitors can learn more about the cheese and see it being made in the information centre. Le Gruyère has been produced in and around Gruyères since the 12th century and cheese makers claim that its rich fl avour is the result of the hundreds of herbs that the cows graze on in the surrounding alpine pastures. It's safe to assume the current cheese producers have mastered the art of making this distinctive style of hard cheese.

Le Gruyère requires 700 litres of fresh milk to produce one 35kg 'wheel' of cheese and 48 wheels are made each day in the dairy. It is then aged in a cave-like environment while being regularly turned and rubbed with brine. Mild Le Gruyère requires fi ve months aging while the more mature style spends a year in the aging vault. A restaurant serves various styles of Le Gruyère AOC with fondue being the most popular dish served here. In some kitchens, especially in the canton of Fribourg, Le Gruyère AOC is combined in fondue with Vacherin Fribourgeois AOC cheese (moitié-moitié or 'half-half' is the classic version).

While the village of Gruyères is a walkable one kilometre up the hill, I waited for the bus to take me there. Visitors can explore the small village using the pedestrian-only, cobble-stoned square which several small streets radiate from.

In addition to visiting the 11th century Château de Gruyères that dominates the village's highest point a somewhat out of place museum is located near the château's entrance. Alien fans will not want to miss the H.R. Giger Museum which is home to the biomechanoid art of H.R. Giger who designed the iconic sculptures featured in the 1979 movie.

Restaurants, a few small hotels and several bars surround the square. There are more outlets than appear necessary for a small village population but during the day most outlets are all full of tourists. Later in the day, most of them head elsewhere for the evening as there is limited accommodation in the village. Small family-operated restaurants like La Fleur de Lys serve traditional Swiss food including local delights of Alpler macaroni and ham in a rich creamy sauce and desserts of meringue with fresh cream.

As the evening progresses, visitors will think they have the village all to themselves and on a star-lit evening there's no better place to admire the towering snowcapped peaks surrounding Gruyères while enjoying a post-dinner beverage or two.

Cobble-stone square, Gruyères格鲁耶尔的鹅卵石大街。

Cheese shop, Appenzell阿彭策尔的芝士店 。

Traditional cheese making古法制酪。

AROMATlC APPENZELLER

Appenzeller is one of the better-known cheeses and is considered Switzerland's spiciest cheese. It is produced from pasture-fed cows in and around the small town of Appenzell (also famous for its local Appenzeller Bier and Säntis Malt Whisky) in the far northeast of Switzerland near St. Gallen and the Austrian border.

The cheese has a distinctive taste that results from the herbal brine that is rubbed into the cheese during its maturation. Visitors can travel to the showcase cheese dairy in nearby Stein to watch it being made, join in a hands-on cheese making activity and to sample the cheese.

Visitors learn that after three months, the mildest form of Appenzeller is ready. This is followed with the Surchoix (or selection) after four months and the Extra after a minimum of six months maturation.

Visitors can buy some cheese in Stein, head back to Appenzell to obtain another tasty delicacy of mostbröckli (raw beef loin preserved in dry salt and seasoning, then smoked and dried), fresh bread and a few bottles of Appenzeller Bier for a picnic in an alpine meadow.

Appenzell is steeped in historic culture, traditional crafts and the picturesque town centre has colourfully painted houses and shops in the car-free main street. Traditional businesses feature antique wrought-iron signs proudly illustrating the type of business conducted in the shop, hotel or café.

Back in St. Gallen a gastronomic delight is the famous veal sausage from the city and called St. Galler Kalbsbratwurst. Prepared from the fi nest veal, a little bacon and fresh milk it is especially popular at barbecues accompanied by a crunchy Bürli roll.

Cheese is not just cheese in Switzerland, but a living slice of popular and gastronomic culture. It's little wonder that for a country with so many cheeses, most visitors to Switzerland are most likely to say ‘cheese' for the cameras.

(left) Blocks of cheese（左）芝士块。

(right) Cold cuts in Appenzell（右）冷切肉。

瑞士是欧洲绝佳的旅游胜地：白雪皑皑的山顶、广阔无垠的农田及风景优美的冰湖，把游客迷得目瞪口呆。翠绿、干净的自然环境让一群最富经验、受过传统训练的厨师得以创作出一流的佳肴。

瑞士有450余种芝士，是当之无愧的芝士之国。芝士爱好者可以遍尝牛奶、羊奶，硬、软等各色芝士。瑞士最负盛名的是艾蒙塔芝士、格鲁耶尔芝士及阿彭策尔芝士。正是这三种芝士的故乡吸引我开始了瑞士的美食之旅。

艾蒙塔芝士：芝士之王

苏黎世机场大厅的底层就是火车站，火车将定时发往瑞士首都伯尔尼——离艾蒙塔芝士产地最近的城市。

阿福尔特恩村离伯尔尼只有1小时路程，游客可以在这里的芝士工厂、餐厅和商店中体验芝士的制作过程，还能尝尝各色艾蒙塔AOC芝士，亲手做做芝士轮。

伯尔尼州艾蒙山谷的农人把制作艾蒙塔芝士当成了一项精细工艺，他们的祖辈在几百年前就掌握了这门手艺，传承至今。

艾蒙塔芝士轮里含有鲜奶、天然凝乳酶及菌群。在成熟期内，芝士内部会发酵生成二氧化碳，气体被芝士外皮挡住后，自然在内部形成大孔。……