Gruyère

Most of the great Continental cheeses are legally protected and can only be made in a certain way in a certain region (see Camembert and Parmesan).

Gruyère is not like this, it is a broader (generic) description of a large, hard cheese made by cooking the milk – which means heating beyond the temperature needed to simply get the curds to form. Gruyère has a yeasty, nutty flavour and close texture. Famous AOC cheeses within the Gruyère group are Beaufort and Conte (France) and Emmenthal (France and Switzerland).