Emmental français est-central

Appearance & taste

Emmental français est-central is made in large wheels: they weigh 60 to 130 kg, measure 0.70 to 1 m in diameter and are at least 14 cm high at the side. The rind is firm, dry and golden yellow to light brown. The paste is supple and melting. The holes are spherical to oval, the size of a cherry to a walnut, regular and well distributed in the paste, and stand out clearly. The cheese contains at least 45 % fat in dry matter.

The long ripening breaks down the proteins further; according to the specification, this produces the typical taste, clean and fruity.

The cheese is sold as a whole wheel, in triangles, blocks and slabs, in portions and pieces, as mini portions or grated in bags; the strands of grated cheese must not stick together.

Production

The cows are on pasture for at least 6 months a year. Their basic feed, pasture grass in summer and hay, aftermath hay and other roughage in winter, comes entirely from the area and makes up at least half of the dry matter of the ration. During the grazing season at least 30 ares of grassland are available per cow, and at most 1.6 dairy cows per hectare of forage area. Silage and other fermented feed are banned so that no butyric fermentation spoils the cheese; so are liquid whey, pomace, palm oil products, feed that impairs the smell of the milk, and genetically modified feed.

Only raw milk is processed; one wheel needs up to 900 litres. The paste is cooked, pressed and salted. Ripening lasts at least 12 weeks from the day of production, compared with 6 weeks for a standard French Emmental. It takes place in three phases; in the middle one, in a warm cellar, the holes form. At the end the ripener selects the wheels using scoring systems for holes, paste, taste and smell. Milk production, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area lies between the Vosges and the Jura, which together form the “Est-central” region. According to the specification, long, harsh winters, hot, relatively dry summers and many rainy days favour grass and hay of high quality. The meadows have a great botanical and microbial diversity, which the milk producers maintain through the traditional grazing and haymaking cycles. The difficult conditions make the region a land of cattle farming.

As early as the Middle Ages, large cheese wheels were a way of preserving surplus summer milk for the winter. Because a wheel needs so much milk, more and more producers joined together in cooperatives; according to the specification, “Est-central” is the region of cheese dairy cooperatives. The cheese dairies still have an economic and social role in the villages today.