The Queso Suizo Project: Churer Alpkäse

If a cheese has the word "Alp" or "Berg" in its name, in my eyes it can do no wrong. Those mountain cheeses sure do make my mouth water, and this lovely one from Chur is no exception. This cheese has a hard almost grainy texture, much like Gruyére. It also has tiny brown specks (of ?) and those darling holes that you might typically associate with Swiss cheese. It's rich in flavor without being potent like Schwägalp-käse. Another plus is that the rind is not as stinky as other mountain cheeses I've tried, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I did not buy this cheese pre-packaged like I normally do. (I'm beginning to think that the rinds fester after sitting in those packages, which makes them smellier than normal.) I think from now on I will buy my cheese wedges from the cheese counter, not just to avoid smelly rind, but also for the quality and flavor. The good thing is that even if a pre-packaged cheese is on Aktion, it is also likely to be on Aktion at the cheese counter. Yesss!

Bottom line: Nutty, buttery, and yummy in my tummy.

Update: I lied. A so-called Bergkäse can most definitely do wrong - when it is accompanied by the word "halbfett," or half-fat.