A hard alpine cow’s cheese from the Allgäu, nutty and long-aged, cut in thick slices. Alpine cheesemaking was brought there in the 1820s by Carl Hirnbein, who turned a flax-growing region into a dairy one; PDO followed in 1997.
It is a PDO cheese made from raw milk in copper vats and ripened in a cellar for months — a dairy operation defined by its region’s pasture.
What goes into it
- raw cow’s milk from Allgäu pastures
- rennet
- a whey starter
- salt
How it is made
Raw milk is set in a copper vat, the curd cut to fine grains and scalded above 50°C (122°F), then pressed into wheels of 15 to 50 kg. The wheels are brined and then ripened in a cellar for months, turned and rubbed with brine, developing a hard natural rind and a firm paste with small eyes.
How long it takes: four months minimum, often twelve or more
How it is eaten
In thick slices with dark bread, grated into Käsespätzle, or on a Brotzeit board.
History
Alpine cheesemaking was brought to the Allgäu in the 1820s by Carl Hirnbein, who turned a flax region into a dairy one; PDO followed in 1997.
Frequently asked questions
What is Allgäuer Bergkäse?
Allgäuer Bergkäse is a cheese & dairy from Germany: hard alpine cow’s cheese, nutty and aged, cut in thick slices. Alpine cheesemaking was brought to the Allgäu in the 1820s by Carl Hirnbein, who turned a flax region into a dairy one; PDO followed in 1997.
How is Allgäuer Bergkäse made?
Raw milk is set in a copper vat, the curd cut to fine grains and scalded above 50°C (122°F), then pressed into wheels of 15 to 50 kg. The wheels are brined and then ripened in a cellar for months, turned and rubbed with brine, developing a hard natural rind and a firm paste with small eyes. It takes four months minimum, often twelve or more.
Can I make Allgäuer Bergkäse at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a PDO cheese made from raw milk in copper vats and ripened in a cellar for months — a dairy operation defined by its region’s pasture.
What goes into Allgäuer Bergkäse?
Raw cow’s milk from Allgäu pastures, rennet, a whey starter, salt.
How is Allgäuer Bergkäse eaten?
In thick slices with dark bread, grated into Käsespätzle, or on a Brotzeit board.
