Bergkäse

thumb|Allgäuer mountain cheese (Allgäuer Bergkäse) from the [[Allgäu region, matured for twelve months]] thumb|Cows on the Willersalpe in Allgäu, where mountain cheese is produced refers to a number of varieties of cheese produced in the Alps. This includes products of mountain farming, the cultivation of alpine pastures as well as the milk processing of local producers in dairies. The term does not say much about the type or production method of the product called mountain cheese, which is usually a hard or semi-hard cheese with no or little holes (also called eyes), usually with a natural rind, but there are also semi-hard cheeses and soft cheeses under this designation. The term is used also generically (especially in Austria) for Swiss-type or Alpine cheeses, which resemble these in taste and texture but do not come from one of the traditional cheese making regions. The texture is rather hard, sometimes with small holes or cracks, the flavour strong and often a bit nutty.

==History== In earlier times, almost all cheeses produced in mountainous regions in summer were mountain cheeses in the sense that they were cheesed on the mountain, i.e. on the shieling. This took place during the summer months in the period lasting between about 70 and 120 days, depending on the region and altitude, when the cattle grazed the mountain meadows. The animals were then outdoors almost continuously and found particularly juicy and rich fodder with plenty of herbs, which resulted in special quality and spicy taste of the mountain milk. As transport possibilities were limited, it was obvious to cheese this milk and thus at the same time to concentrate and preserve it by dehydration. After the cattle had left the mountain pastures (Almabtrieb in German), the quality of the fodder deteriorated and the milk yield of the cows dropped. In winter, the milk was usually just enough for the farm's self-sufficiency, and there was hardly any cheese-making left.