Hard cheese, sweet but slightly salty. Mild flavor somewhere in between a “Swiss cheese” and Parmesan. From my research, Gruyère is ideal for baking so I made a quiche, into which I also threw the Fontinella and some ham so that was really tasty. And the cheese is really stringy. But, alas you can use Gruyère in fondue, any baked dishes, as well as, grated as table cheese over pasta or salad.