Gruyère is a hard, slightly sweet and slightly salty cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland that melts beautifully.

• Milk: raw cow’s milk (for the Swiss, protected version)
• Region: western Switzerland: Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and parts of Bern
• Style: hard
• Aged: typically 5 to 12 months or more
• Protected: Le Gruyère AOP

How to use it

Gruyère is the classic fondue cheese. The traditional Swiss version is half Gruyère and half Vacherin Fribourgeois (moitié-moitié, or “half and half”), though plenty of recipes use Emmental instead; see What cheese is best for fondue? Beyond fondue, it’s great in any baked dish (a quiche is a classic use), and it’s good grated as a table cheese over pasta or salad.

One more thing: there’s also a French Gruyère, which is a separate cheese with a lower level of protection (IGP). It’s milder and has holes, unlike the Swiss one.

Wrapping up

A hard cheese that’s equally at home in a quiche, a fondue pot or grated over pasta. (Facts on the protected Swiss cheese: Vaud tourism.)