“Smooth in your mouth, melting in your tongue.” This is how a panel of judges described the world’s best cheese.
It was surely difficult to choose the best cheese from as many as 4,434 entries from all around the one. The winning trophy was taken home by Le Gruyère AOP surchoix, entered by Swiss cheesemaker Vorderfultigen and affineur (refiner) Gourmino.
This year’s event, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, was held at the International Conference Centre on the outskirts of Newport’s Welsh city in the United Kingdom where judges were seated at the 98 judging tables that were placed with unpacked and assessed cheeses of different colours, shapes and sizes.
The 2022 World Cheese Awards was the 34th instalment of the most coveted prize for cheesemakers. Forty-two countries and 900 companies from around the world submitted their entries to be considered for the award.
According to a report by Fox6, the event was originally scheduled to be hosted in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, however, the invasion prompted organisers to move the location to Wales.
Congratulations to the #WorldCheeseAwards 2022 World Champion Cheese, Le Gruyère AOP surchoix, entered by Swiss cheesemaker Vorderfultigen and affineur Gourmino@WGRural @FoodDrinkWales @WelshGovernment @ICCWales pic.twitter.com/tFyCjZHGgK
— Guild of Fine Food (@guildoffinefood) November 2, 2022
Let’s take a closer look at how the Swiss cheese made it to the top.
How is the best cheese chosen?
Cheeses from across the world are judged in a single day by teams of technical experts, buyers, retailers and food writers.
These judges work in teams of three and pick cheeses that are worthy of a gold, silver or bronze award. Judges assessed each cheese by its rind, body, colour, texture, consistency and taste.
After grading the cheeses based on the aforementioned parameters, each team nominate one exceptional cheese as the ‘Super Gold’ from their table.
The shortlisted cheeses have to pass another round of judgment by a super jury of internationally-recognised experts, who each select a cheese for the final round. The super jury then picks the cheese to be crowned as the best.
This year’s winner was eventually chosen from 98 shortlisted ‘super gold’ champions and then to a final of 16 kinds of cheese.
Each member of the Super Jury has selected one cheese to champion on the final panel in front of a live audience. From these, the World Champion Cheese will be chosen.
But which cheeses made the final 16? 🧀
Tune in to find out: https://t.co/rjA1zAFG0H#WorldCheeseAwards pic.twitter.com/0GfBMt25lj
— Guild of Fine Food (@guildoffinefood) November 2, 2022
Apart from Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold, there are country and cheese-specific trophies too.
According to a report by CNN, the judges blind-tasted the cheeses.
How is Le Gruyère AOP surchoix produced?
The world’s best cheese gets its name from the medieval town of Gruyère in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Judges were wooed by the texture and overall taste of Le Gruyère AOP surchoix and described it as a “really refined, hand-crafted cheese that melts on the tongue and has notes of herbs, fruits and leather.”
“A cheese with a lot of taste and bouquet,” said the judges.
Gruyère is a type of Swiss or Alpine cheese that carries a sweet but slightly salty taste. The older it gets, the more refined its taste becomes.
So, what’s the recipe for its success? The cheese goes through nine steps of production to make it one of the best. The ‘AOP’ in the cheese’s name stands for Protected Designation of Origin, which is a mark of its quality. It further guarantees the authenticity of products made in accordance with tradition, according to Indian Express.
Starting right from the primary ingredient, the cows which produce milk for Gruyère are solely fed on natural forage – fresh grass in summer and hay in winter and it is strictly ensured that no additives or ensilage are used.
The morning milk is merged in a copper vat – a mixing container – with the evening milk which was left to settle overnight. To mature the milk, cheesemakers add starter cultures made from whey – the watery part of the milk that remains after the formation of curds.
The cheesemaker then adds rennet, an ingredient extracted from calf’s stomach, to curdle the milk. Since the milk is not heated before curdling, it retains all of its aromas.
The contents of the vat are later heated for 40-45 minutes. Once the required heating temperature is reached and the granules are the size of wheat grains, the cheesemaker checks the texture by taking a handful of grains and carefully kneading them into a mass.
Following this, the raw product is pumped out into round moulds. Each of these moulds is marked on its outer edge with the inscription of Le Gruyère AOP. The whey then runs out and is collected in a large basin that is placed underneath.
The following day, the cheesemakers remove the wheel of cheese from the mould to put them in a 22 per cent concentrated salt bath for 24 hours to let it mature.
For further maturation, which essentially describes the quality of cheese, the wheels are transported to ‘d’affinage’ or maturing cellars for a slow maturation process in a 90 per cent humidity setting.
The true taste of Gruyère comes out after 10 months of its production.
Who are the other winners?
Although Gruyère won the top prize, there were other cheeses that took judges on a tasteful journey. The second position was taken by Gorgonzola Dolce DOP, made by De’ Magi from Italy.
The other winners include:
- Grosse Tomme de Bufflonne CaveJacobine from Prolactine France
- Âlde Fryske from De Fryske, the Netherlands
- Tomme de chèvre Cave Jacobine from Prolactine France
- PATA DE MULO CURADO LOS PAYUELOS from Quesería Artesanal Los Payuelos, Spain
- Greensward from Murray’s Cheese, New York
- Devon Blue from Ticklemore Cheese, UK
The managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, John Farrand said that this year saw more entries than previous years. He said, “What a finale. To crown Le Gruyère AOP surchoix as this year’s World Champion Cheese is so well deserved. The judges in the room today, our cheese experts from all over the world, were clearly blown away by the quality of the cheese and dedication shown by the cheesemakers,” according to FOX6.
With inputs from agencies
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