Jungfrau Baby-Eyed Swiss

Producer

Middlefield Cheese House

Country

United States

Region

Ohio

Website

www.middlefieldcheese.com

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Pasteurised

Classification

Firm

Rennet

Microbial

Rind

None

Style

Alpine-style

Middlefield Cheese House has been producing Swiss-style cheeses since July 4^th, 1956, when Swiss immigrant Hans Rothenbuhler made his first 250-lb wheel at the Middlefield Swiss Cheese Co-op. Today the company, now headed by Hans’ son John, has grown to become one of the largest Swiss cheese manufacturers in the U.S. The dairy is located in the rolling hills of Geauga County about 35 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio, in one of the largest Amish settlements in the United States. The 100% Grade A milk used in cheesemaking is processed in enclosed equipment to ensure safety throughout the process, and visitors to the facility can explore an on-site Cheese House museum and a Cheese Chalet shop.

Jungfrau, also known as Baby-Eyed Swiss, is named after one of the tallest mountains in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. Blocks of the cheese are sealed in plastic before being aged at least two months, during which little holes develop throughout the paste as Proprionibacterium create bubbles filled with CO_2.

Tasting Notes

An egg-white paste punctuated with eyes yields a soft, pliable texture. Chewy and creamy at the same time, flavor is very mild; slightly vegetal and a bit sour, like citrus fruit mixed with almond milk. There are aftereffects of sweetness not dissimilar from those found in mozzarella cheese.

Pairings

Pair it with a Riesling or with a Chenin Blanc.