Yes, this is again a cheese I've purchased from the sale section (sale board, really) of my local cheese stand. I can't keep myself away. It's lovingly scripted invitations to try one of five or six (usually German, Swiss, or Austrian) cheeses is a siren song under whose spell I am powerless. Not all of these cheeses are winners. Some are labeled 'mild', which translates from the German roughly into: lacking a strong or powerful flavor, making only a little impression, see: bland. Others, however, carry the honorific of 'würzig'. I want würzig. And I will have würzig. And today I am going to write to you about würzig.
Origin: Zermatt, Switzerland
Milk: Cow, raw
Affinage: 14 months
Notes: Würzig doesn't have a perfect translation into English, but comes pretty close at 'flavorful'. Flavorful+. Flavorful + Spicy, but not like chili peppers spicy rather spicy like there are spices afoot here. Maybe just flavorful. If my armchair linguistics serve me correctly, it is related to the German word for spices; Gewürze. Which is a little misleading, considering this cheese has only milk, rennet, and salt* as ingredients.
Thoughts: This cheese has a lot going on! And I love it all. The initial impression is like biting into a well aged cheddar, all crunchy-chewy and creamy-sweet paste. Right away it takes a sharp left turn, though, and establishes itself proudly as a Bergkäse. The raw milk doesn’t bludgen the tongue and gums the way some are known to, but adds simply another pleasing layer of flavor and complexity. It is grassy and peppery on the front, but as the butterfat breaks down on the palate who is that over there all of a sudden?! Pears and berries! In a Bergkäse. What will they think of next! Everything on this cheese is working in symphony to create a real class act of a Bergkäse. The delicate crunch, the buttery paste, the raw milk and the peppery, fruity aftertaste. Next time you’re in Zermatt, make sure you track it down!
*Yes. Yes. I know 'salt' is a spice. In the way that water is a beverage.
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