Got some gruyere at the store. Never had it. I love cheese. Opened it up and got punched by a strong funk. Was excited for strong flavor. Tried it and it was nothing like the smell. It’s mild. Good, but not at all what I expected based on the smell. It’s somewhere between parmesan and mozzarella. I like it but the difference between opening package and tasting was weird.
My experience in the UK was the gruyère was a bit bland as a cheese. But since moving to France that’s changed completely. Gruyère can be of widly different qualities and aged for different times for very different end flavours. The opposite is true of cheddar, which in Britain is a big spectrum of flavours and textures, but often in France is a pretty bland ‘burger cheese slice’ affair.
If it was made in France or Switzerland gruyere is a specific kind of cheese. If it was made somewhere else it could be anything.
I once got some from the store because i love the taste and my roomies threw it out after two days because they thought it has gone bad and the smell was covering everything in the fridge. It was in a closed box and everything but they couldnt handle it. The taste wasnt like the smell but still not mild at all.
Gruyère has a pretty light taste, more something you put for the texture. If you want taste go for some goat, bleu, or Munster (beware that one will make your fridge smell)
Or… Époisses de Bourgogne…
(This is the cheese falsely stated to be banned on French public transit.)
It’s both super stinky and has a… striking… flavor.
Melt it
French onion soup.
That is how my gruyere has been in Midwest US
Isn’t it fancy Swiss cheese?
Not sure sure about about fancy, but yes, it’s Swiss cheese. It originated in a part of Switzerland, which also has a museum dedicated to the work of H.R. Giger, the guy who designed the Alien in the film of the same name. Some of his art is… weird. There’s an 8ft tall Alien on the third floor.
It should have tasted sharper than that. You might have ended up with a mild one.
Either that, or your taste in cheese is VERY sharp!
Edit: this is just from my own limited experience, but I find that the cave-aged stuff is much sharper and more flavorful.
Another vote for “melt it.” Also, try it with black coffee.
Oh yes
