But the funny part is that in Europe there is no such thing as "Swiss" cheese per se. They know what it is but should you ask for it they will, in turn, ask you "Which one?" Swiss cheese is a generic name. Gruyere, Appenzeller, and especially Emmental with the holes.
Not funny at all. "Swiss cheese" in America seems to be any cheese of a particular texture with holes in it but the actual Swiss varieties you mention above are different in flavour. I'm sure if you looked in the right places you'd find imported cheeses from the various Swiss regions. Any cheese seller worth his/her salt will let you try a little nibble to decide which you like best. If they don't then walk away.
In the UK we have a lot of different local cheeses - Cheshire, Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Lancashire (2 sorts depending on the ageing), Derbyshire (and Sage Derbyshire) and many others. Most of these are made in bulk in factories using milk from many farms but if labelled "Farmhouse....." it must have been made on the farm premises with milk only from that farm's cows.
We also have a wide range of cheeses which are protected by law.
Some local cheeses have a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), such as these below.
- Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire
- Buxton Blue
- Dovedale
- Swaledale
- Swaledale ewes' cheese
- Single Gloucester
- Staffordshire Cheese
and three other cheeses have PGI (Protected Geographical Indication)
- Dorset Blue
- Exmoor Blue
- Teviotdale
Do try them if you come across them.
If you are ever in the UK don't be lured by the common or garden "cheddar cheese" on the supermarket slab. Unlike Stilton which can only be made in a very limited area of the country under strict legal regulations, the "farmhouse" makers of Cheddar cheese missed out on regularising the making of it so all sorts of rubbish from all over the world finds it's way into the shops under that name. "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" is one of the few "farmhouse" Cheddars that have got into the Supermarkets. Try that one and you'll never willingly eat factory-produced "Cheddar" again!
Factories strive to produce cheeses to a strict sameness, whereas the flavour of "Farmhouse" cheese may vary, batch to batch, according to things like the mix of grasses the cows had been eating that week, how the weather has affected the grass, and all sorts of other issues, which is what makes the cheeses so interesting.
The supermarket companies over here are getting used to the idea that customers don't always want what the store says they have to have and even the "budget" end such as Aldi and Lidl are getting their act together with more interesting goods in all departments, not just with their cheeses.
I know from watching Ina Garten that there are farmhouse (aka "artisan") cheese-makers in the US. They may seem expensive but as my widowed Grandmother, who brought up 5 children on very little money in the "hungry '30s", used to say -"Buy better - buy less". In other words if something tastes good and is good quality, you don't need as much.
Sorry about going on about this but I care a lot about "proper" food and tend to get a bit over-heated about it. It's very much a case of "use it or lose it".
