Enchanting Gruyere

MILLIE: One of the highlights of our recent trip to Switzerland to attend a reunion of alumni from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne was a day trip to Gruyere, a small town that produces that world-famous cheese. It might interest one to know that Gruyere cheese is actually produced from nearby Epagny. Karla and I joined the tour with my former schoolmates but, to our dismay, we missed seeing the actual demonstration of how the cheese is made.

For some reason, we found ourselves going uphill on cobblestones towards the castle of Gruyere through the small, quaint medieval town surrounding it. We were fascinated to find the medieval castle had come alive, with a group of professional actors garbed in medieval costumes depicting a typical day in and around the castle.

Aimed at promoting culture, folklore and entertainment, the reenactment shows a medieval market with blacksmiths, painters and other craftsmen as well as a display depicting a home during the Middle Ages, including a kitchen and a bedroom.

The castle of Gruyeres is one of Switzerland’s most prestigious, constructed between 1270 and 1282.

KARLA: For my 18th birthday, I actually wanted to have a medieval-themed debut. I remember how the National Book Store branch at Shangri-La Plaza has a knight on display in the show window. I even wanted to rent that as a prop for my party. After building the concept for my debut, mom and I realized that it would cost so much to create a medieval theme as we would have to rent or have props made for the event so I just opted to change the concept of my party. So when I walked through the castle grounds of Gruyere, I felt like I had been cast in one of my favorite movies, A Knight’s Tale. I was prepared for Heath Ledger to pop out any time. Ha! That would’ve been scary.

The guards at the castle gate greeted us as we entered — I even asked one if I could borrow his spear so I could take a photo with it. A fellow guard said, “What kind of a guard are you if you give someone else your weapon?” So the guard ignored me and did not let go of his spear. I just smiled and posed for the picture instead. As we walked on, we started to see other village folk in costume. There was a market where some people were selling helmets and toy swords for kids; some were selling these balls made out of colored cotton, and little souvenirs. Before entering the castle courtyard, I spotted food. Getting curious, I got mom to walk over with me. A man, dressed as a friar, was roasting a wild boar while the other was carving from a cooked one. We were told that it was a mountain pig, marinated in special spices. Mom and I kept asking questions and taking photos until they were kind enough to let us try a piece, although they were selling sandwiches. It actually tasted good and the meat was not tough or gamey.

Also outside the courtyard was an area for kids where they could pretend that they were knights in training, like a middle-aged obstacle course. They were allowed to borrow helmets and swords and try out some exercises for jousting. As we walked through the courtyard, there were musicians playing medieval instruments while a group of village people gathered and showed us some dance steps. They even encouraged the visitors to join them. More items were being sold like coins, animal fur coats, swords, medicinal herbs and the like, including medieval pastries and beverages. The medieval pastries looked like our modern-day cookies and cinnamon rolls, although rustic in appearance. Most of the products were made with flour, honey, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, raisins, apples, figs, cinnamon.

Aside from that, there were also weaponry demonstrations where they fired guns and cannons from the castle. It was like the entire village was alive and living their day-to-day lives. Although these people were actors, you could tell that they were very good ones as they really seemed to be acting out their roles in the community. They knew we were taking photos but acted as if they didn’t know what we were doing or what a camera was. Through the way they walked, their appearance, and even way they talked and interacted with tourists and with each other, it was amazing to see the past come alive. It’s certainly something you don’t see every day. They not only wore medieval-inspired costumes and paraded around the castle grounds, they all had characters, names and back stories to their lives. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like it was a movie and I was living in it. This medieval festival only happens on two days in mid-June, during Johannisfest or the Festival of St. John.

MILLIE: We stopped for lunch at Le Chalet de Gruyeres where our group was housed in the attic, a bit too tight for comfort but cozy in a way. We were served viande sechee de Grisons or air-dried beef from the largest Swiss Canton of Grisons. We ate this with boiled potatoes, pearl onions and cornichons. We also had marvelous cheese fondue, a typical Swiss treat, enjoyed best with white wine from the region. It is said that one should never drink soft drinks when eating cheese fondue for fear of indigestion. There was nonstop banter as we all partook of the casual meal which ended with something sweet, a meringue with double Gruyere cream and exquisite ice cream!

We made it a point to come back to Gruyere another day with our former chef Jean Jacques Poutrieux who lives near Montreux so we could visit the demonstration dairy and see an actual cheese production but we came after lunch and missed it again! But we were able to see the cellars where 7,000 wheels of Gruyere cheese are stored! It was a heavenly sight!

Gruyere cheese is one of our favorite after-dinner cheeses. Dad especially loved the cave-aged Gruyere. This hard yellow cheese is slightly salty and its flavor varies according to its age. When it is young, it is creamy and has a somewhat nutty taste. As it ages, its flavor becomes more earthy. Fully aged Gruyere (five to 12 months) has a grainy texture. It is one of the best cheeses for cooking, for quiche, soups, salads and fondues. When buying Swiss Gruyere cheese look for the sign that says AOC or Appellation d’origine controllee, which means that the Gruyere cheese is authentic from that controlled region.

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Send e-mail to milliereyes.foodforthought@gmail.com and karla@swizzlemobilebar.com. Find us on Facebook and read articles you might have missed: Food for Thought by Millie & Karla Reyes.