The end of the summer marks an important tradition for Swiss cheesemakers - the Désalpe. After a long summer high up in the Alps, the farmers lead their herds of cows down the mountain and parade them through the town, adorned with flower crowns and ornate cowbells as the town cheers to thank them for their hard work. Attendees of the Désalpe celebrate the end of the summer cheesemaking season with fondue, drinks, and heaping plates of food, as the sounds of traditional Swiss alphorn music mingle with the clanging of the cowbells.
The celebration comes at the end of the alpage cheesemaking season - during the summer months, farmers and cheesemakers make their way up into the mountains with their cows to spend the season in chalets, Alpine huts that often have no electricity. Some farmers even combine their herds in order to pool milk for a single cheesemaker to work with - this is called coop dairying, a tradition that is very common for cheeses like Gruyère and Comté. While the cows graze on the lush mountain pasture, the town below can focus on utilizing their pastures to harvest and store hay for the herds to eat during the harsh winter months. The seasonal migration of the animals from lower to higher elevations across seasons is known as transhumance, and it is not exclusive to Swiss cheesemaking - many cheeses like Gorgonzola from Italy and authentic Cotija from Mexico involve transhumance too!
The abundance of diverse flora, grasses, and herbs present in high elevation Alpine pastures are a significant part of what gives alpage cheese its unique and complex flavor - as the cows digest them, their flavors create a terroir in the milk is distinctly Swiss, which only intensifies as the cheese ages. The milk is collected daily, sometimes more than once, where it is made into cheese in a copper vat over a wood-burning fire, imbuing the wheels with a hint of wood smoke.
Over hundreds of years, alpage cheesemakers have come up with ways to achieve the ideal firm texture and savory, nutty flavor of their cheeses as a result of immediate environmental factors - from cutting the curds smaller and heating them at a higher temperature to create a drier cheese, to a sparing use of salt to avoid lugging heavy bags up a mountain, to a standardized larger format wheel that is easier to bring back down the mountain than several smaller wheels. Creating larger, sturdier wheels of cheese ensures the cheese will stay good longer so that the people in the community can consume the nutrients found in liquid milk to help sustain them through the winter months.
Alpage cheesemaking is no small feat - it requires nearly round-the-clock commitment and backbreaking labor. Those who continue this ancient cheesemaking tradition are lauded and highly respected in Switzerland. So this season, we raise a glass and a pot of fondue to alpage cheesemakers everywhere to thank them for keeping the tradition alive, so that we can continue to enjoy our Gruyère, our Vacherin Fribourgeois, our Sbrinz, our L'Etivaz, and much more.
Of course, it's important to store these cheeses properly so that you can experience the seasonality and flavor at its best and fullest - Formaticum cheese storage solutions are perfect for protecting your investment and honoring the work of these dedicated cheesemakers and farmers. We recommend our Reusable Cheese Storage Sheets for the best possible results, or our Reusable Cheese Storage Bags for all the benefits of the Reusable material, combined with the ease of the bag format.
Shop now at formaticum.com and don't forget to enjoy some fondue with friends this holiday season!
