Gailtaler Almkäse

Appearance & taste

Gailtaler Almkäse is a round wheel of 0.5 to 35 kg with a dry, closed, golden yellow natural rind. The paste is yellowish and supple and has a few round, evenly distributed holes. The cheese contains at least 45 % fat in dry matter and at most 40 % water. The specification speaks of an unmistakable taste from pure alpine milk.

The wheels carry casein plates and a uniform label with the words “Gailtaler Almkäse — geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung”.

Production

Only alpine milk from the Gailtal alpine pastures is used, cow’s milk and, where applicable, up to 10 % goat’s milk, processed raw; milk from the valley is not permitted. The only additives allowed are natural rennet and lactic acid cultures. Production follows the “Gailtaler Almprotokoll”, which contains rules for alpine pasture management, animal husbandry, milking, milk ripening and cheesemaking. The milk is processed on the alpine pastures.

The cheese ripens for at least seven weeks before it is sold; for serving at the alpine dairies, five weeks are enough if needed. Cheese packed airtight ripens for at least 75 days.

Origin & history

The area extends over the mountain slopes north and south of the Upper Gail Valley, in the municipalities of Kötschach-Mauthen, Dellach, Kirchbach, Hermagor, Gitschtal, Weißensee, St. Stefan im Gailtal, Feistritz an der Gail and Hohenthurn, with parts of the Carnic Alps, the Reißkofel group and the Gailtal Alps. It has plenty of rain and hours of sunshine. The alpine pastures lie lower than in the Central Alps, so the growing season is longer. Many soil types and sites produce species-rich alpine pastures with a high proportion of herbs and legumes; according to the specification, their milk is better suited to cheesemaking than milk from the valley.

The production of alpine cheese in the area is documented as early as the 14th century. According to the specification, the product is shaped by the Gailtal farmers’ care of the landscape over centuries and by the skill of the alpine dairymaids and dairymen passed on over generations, for instance in choosing pastures according to the season and in dealing with temperature and weather during cheesemaking.