Straight on the heels of my last post for a raw milk cheese from Switzerland, comes Bergblumenkäse, another Swiss cheese with a mountain in its name. Instead of a geographic hill this "Berg" is a Mountain Flower (" Bergblumenkäse" literally translates to "Mountain Flower Cheese") and different in flavor from other Swiss cheeses. You get a sense of what the cows ate as you eat this cheese. The taste reminds me of grass and hay and pleasant barnyard aromas. Wheels of Bergblumenkäse are aged in herbs and straw for six months which imparts an unusual but delightful taste. It will probably be hard to find and expensive if you can get it but for a rare treat give it a try if you can.

Name: Bergblumenkäse or Bergblume or Mountain Flower
Type of Milk: cow's, unpasteurized
Type: semi-hard
Produced in: Switzerland
Date Purchased: 12/27/2006
Date Eaten: 12/31/2006
Purchased Where: United States, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, A Southern Season
Price: $22.99/lb.