Aug 08 2025
A true French cheese connoisseur will want to have a good knowledge and understanding of a cheese before they can really appreciate it. That means knowing something about its origin and backstory and a little about what to expect in terms of aroma and flavour profile. For that reason, most people buying a Gruyère will have done a little research beforehand, but if you have been reading about the Swiss Gruyère then you are in for a different experience if you have actually bought a French Gruyère, although undoubtedly there are similarities.
While Swiss Gruyère is a firm, pale and yellow Alpine cheese, a French Gruyère is very similar, except its origins are the prairies of the Savoie and Franche-Comtè regions. French Gruyère actually has more similarities with Comtè cheese from the same areas of eastern France, because they are both unpasteurised raw cow’s milk cheeses, and both follow a similar cooperative spirit in how they are produced. But undoubtedly Gruyère has its own distinctive characteristics, which place it alongside the very best French cheeses, not least the fact that while Comtè must be produced using two specific cattle breeds, French Gruyère uses cow’s milk from five breeds; Montbéliarde, la Simmental, Abondance, Tarentaise and Vosgienne. No other milk qualifies for use in French Gruyère.
Gruyère is a golden cheese with a smooth and springy texture. It has a mild but clear taste which offers a slight sweetness, and the cheese is characterised by the pea-sized holes which appear on the surface. Oddly, these are more reminiscent of classic Swiss cheeses, and indeed the holes on French Gruyère are actually bigger and more consistent than those which appear on the Swiss version. This comes from a quite unique production process.
A two-stage ripening process is required to provide Gruyère with its appearance and taste profile. It is firstly pre-ripened for 15 days at a temperature between 8-15 degrees C. This allows a rind to form, at which point it is transferred to a warm cellar for one day at 15 degrees C. As soon as the distinctive holes start to appear on the surface of the cheese it is transferred once again to a cold cellar, where the fermentation is more tightly monitored and controlled by the cheesemakers. It is a labour-intensive process, but the outcome is a consistent cheese with a rich, creamy texture, while the production process delivers huge 40kgs wheels, from which every slice takes you on a journey of taste experience as you travel from the rind to the centre.
French Gruyère is milder and sweeter than its Swiss counterpart, and is actually aged for a much shorter period, but there are similarities in that both versions have great melting properties, and great versatility. French Gruyère is popular in fondues, gratins and in a croque monsieur or other toasted sandwiches. It can be grated on salads or as a topping on a French Onion soup, it can be cubed into mashed potatoes and also used in savoury baking, for scones, muffins or a quiche.
So make sure you taste the difference and opt for the French version of Gruyère. You can order some for your café or restaurant in the UK by contacting our experts at Sodiaal today.
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