Hirtenkäse

Hirtenkäse, or "herder's cheese", is a distinctive cow's milk cheese made in the Allgäu area of Southern Germany.

Traditionally, cow herders bring their cows from the Alps into Allgäu each fall in mid-September. September 18 typically "marks the official start of the Almabtrieb, or descent, a day celebrated with a festival ...." Hirtenkäse is made from the milk from these cows. It is usually aged eight months.

Color, texture and taste

This cheese is "golden" and "Buttery yellow in color...."

Its texture and taste are "rustic, savory and firm textured... with a rugged, earthy aroma."

It has been compared to other hard cheeses of Europe:

Another gourmand wrote:

Wine and fruit pairings

Hirtenkäse's nutty, earthy flavors can be complemented or contrasted.

A reviewer at the San Francisco Chronicle prefers complementing the cheese, writing, "I want a nutty, slightly sweet wine with it, such as an oloroso sherry or a Madeira." Barbara Adams suggested the aromatic gewürztraminer wine. She also suggests "a variety of fruits (dried tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, coconut and papaya), toasted hazelnuts, and butter crackers such Bretons, Club and Ritz."