Désalpe, the cattle come down

Cheeses for Désalpe, the cattle come down

Each autumn the herds that spent the summer on the high pastures come down to the villages. In French-speaking Switzerland this is the Désalpe, and in Charmey and Saint-Cergue it is held on the last Saturday of September: cows wear crowns of flowers and great bells, herders walk beside them in traditional dress, and the cheese made on the alp over the summer comes down too. L'Etivaz is made only in summer, over wood fires in copper cauldrons, and alpine Gruyère is sold at the stalls. The spring ascent, the Alpaufzug or Inalpe, takes the herds up in May and June when the grass is ready.

The cheeses

GruyèreAlpine Gruyère made on the summer pastures.AppenzellerThe cheese of the eastern Swiss herding country.