Gruyère is a typical Swiss cheese, but did you know that its name comes from a geographical area? Last April, I spent three days in Switzerland, including one in the little village of Gruyères. This part of Switzerland is charming, it looks exactly like the clichés I had in my mind about the country: mountains, green grass everywhere, flowers and lots of cows! Of course, because to make cheese, you need milk and so, cows.
Visiting La Maison Du Gruyère in Gruyères
How is Gruyère made?
First, if Gruyère is a Swiss cheese, it’s not the one with holes. Gruyère has no holes and its taste varies depending on what the cows ate and how long it matured. If you visit the museum in the Maison Du Gruyère, you’ll get a sample of three different levels of matured cheese (6, 8 and 10 months). All of them are delicious, but I’ll admit that I preferred the “youngest ones”.
In the museum, you learn about the process, about how many liters of milk you need to make one big wheel of cheese (spoiler alert, it’s 400 liters), and you’ll see a demonstration. There are several each day. You can see how they add some rennet to curdle the milk, then how they make the wheels and how they mark them with the date and brand. After all these steps, you can go to see the cellar where the wheels are regularly turned over by a robot and brushed with salt water. The maturation usually lasts between 5 and 18 months.
What Is A Fondue Moitié-Moitié?
The Maison Du Gruyère includes a shop, free toilets and a restaurant. In the restaurant, of course, you can taste various delicacies made with cheese, like gnocchis or fondue. Fondue is quite heavy and is usually eaten during Winter, but it’s also a specialty and I didn’t have the chance to taste it in Geneva, so I tried it in Gruyères. It seemed appropriate.
Fondue moitié-moitié (half-half) is made half with Gruyère AOP (protected designations of origin) and half with Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP (another Swiss cheese). It’s served with bread and little potatoes. Even if it was delicious, I had to admit defeat before eating all the potatoes and bread. But I did good, it’s just that the portions are reeeally generous.
Double Cream Meringue
Cheese is not the only thing you should taste in Gruyères. Double cream meringue is another specialty that deserves all your attention! I couldn’t eat anything after the fondue, but I bought meringues from the shop. Back home, I ate them on a bed of strawberries. I wasn’t sure that I would like it, but I did! Expect two textures: on the outside, it’s crunchy, on the inside a bit chewy. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s really good!
Climbing To Gruyères Village
From the train station and Maison Du Gruyère, you can reach Gruyères village by foot in 10-15 minutes. It goes uphill, but it’s not too difficult. If you have a car, there are several parking lots at the bottom of the village. Cars are not allowed in the medieval village. So you’ll still have to climb a little bit.
Where Does That Name Come From?
I didn’t know that but Gruyères name comes from a legend. The founder of the village is said to have seen a crane (grue in French) when he arrived on the land. He thought that it was a good omen.
What To See In Gruyères?
Gruyères is very small, but you can visit the medieval center, the castle and the church. I didn’t visit the castle, but I have heard good things about it. It’s not free, it’s 13 CHF per adult. I didn’t feel like being inside because the weather was really beautiful, but I would have liked to see the gardens.
There are also two museums in Gruyères: one dedicated to Tibet and another one about HR Giger. I didn’t know his name, but I recognized his work. He is the sculptor who imagined the beast and sets of the movie Alien. I thought about visiting it, but as I was queuing for tickets, I saw that it was mostly drawings and I thought that I wasn’t a fan enough to enjoy a whole museum about that.
If you’re like me and don’t want to see the museum but are impressed by the sets, you could just go to the cafe next door. The inside is built like an Alien set, and it looks like you’re eating in the insides of a beast.
Some Practical Info
From Lausanne, you have to change trains and it takes about an hour and a half. Swiss trains are rarely late, and it’s easy to buy tickets from the train station. Make sure you have your credit card, because one time, I tried to pay cash and the machine only accepted the exact amount that I didn’t have).
If you need to pee for free, remember that there are clean toilets in Maison Du Gruyère.
To see more pictures of Switzerland, you can visit the gallery Switzerland.
