The Queso Suizo Project: Aktion!

Our local Migros supermarket has been on a roll for the past couple of weeks: The cheese section has been featuring a wider-than-usual variety of cheeses on Aktion (special offer).

One such cheese that I am already familiar with is called Emmental. In fact, I was familiar with this cheese before I moved to Switzerland and I didn't even know it! Apparently, Emmental is what friends in the U.S. have come to call simply "Swiss cheese." To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of "Swiss cheese," except when it's melted in a sandwich or something. (Um, can someone please deep freeze a Bennigan's Monte Cristo sandwich with a mix of Swiss and American cheeses and send it to me Global Express?) I've always thought "Swiss cheese" was too bitter for my taste sensibilities, but this Emmental we got wasn't half bad. Emmental is considered a hard cheese, but the one we got wasn't as hard as Parmesan or Gruyére. Also, the Mittelreif variety offers a much mellower flavor than the "Swiss cheese" that I am used to. We enjoyed it, non-melted, in some Silserwiches (mini sandwiches I prepare with Silserkranz rolls).

Bottom line: Glad I tried it, but it is not one of my favorites.

Next up is a mountain cheese called "Bündner," which is a semi-hard cheese produced at Käserei Sedrun in canton Graubünden. Isaiah is a big fan of this cheese, and it isn't difficult to figure out why. What's great about "Bündner" is that it's packed with flavor without being overpowering like the Schwägalp-Käse.

Bottom line: Makes for a reliably satisfying cheese experience.

Finally, we have a Thurgauer Rahmkäse, a semi-soft cheese that's pretty forgettable. The scent isn't particularly fowl, and it has a nice creamy texture, but this cheese didn't grab my attention. I think I prefer a cheese to assault me with flavor. It's not that this Rahmkäse is flavorless. I mean, it's good, but not that good. (So eloquently put, right?)

Bottom line: Not enough bang for my buck.