CHILI CHEESE – lactose-free – Cheese Wheel
Made from natural cow’s milk with 45% F.i.T. | whole cheese wheel | 8.1 kg weight
Chili Cheese, refined with real chili peppers “affinated,” is trending. Our chili semi-hard cheese features a smooth, tender texture and a wonderful cheese aroma.
While cheeses with herbs and spices are popular, our Chili Cheese remains true to a purist tradition, comparable to the “purity law of beer.“
Cheese varieties that mix spices directly into the cheese dough generally do not develop a cheese flavor through extensive maturation, thus relying on spice blends.
Our excellent semi-hard cheese impresses with its smooth texture and delightful aroma.
The uniqueness of this cheese lies in its production: Only the edible cheese rind is carefully treated with a specially selected chili blend. This mild blend harmonizes perfectly with the fine cheese, giving it a spicy, piquant, aromatic flavor profile.
The cheese dough itself, however, remains free of any additives or spices, preserving the pure, natural taste of high-quality Alpine milk.
The result is a semi-hard cheese that stands out with its fine, harmonious composition. The chili releases its aroma in the rind, giving the cheese a “spice memory” scent. Its flavor remains pleasantly balanced without being overloaded by excessive aromas.
Lactose-free chili cheese: In our hay or pasture milk cheese, natural milk sugar is broken down by lactic acid bacteria. Result: lactic acid plus uniquely remarkable flavors and aromas.
The semi-hard cheese is also lactose-free, making it accessible for people with lactose intolerance without compromising on taste.
This cheese represents top quality and a conscious return to traditional cheesemaking, where natural flavor is paramount. The result is a product that convinces with its aroma, purity, and simplicity.
Our Bregenzerwald Chili Semi-Hard Cheese is a treat for those who appreciate the pure taste of high-quality cheese. Its flavor is mildly aromatic, and the spices release their aroma, creating entirely new flavor combinations.
The edible cheese rind of the chili cheese is refined with a special chili spice blend, giving the cheese wheel a lovely appearance and a delicate, slightly spicy taste.
With the Chili Cheese from Senner Christof Schneider, you have a very special cheese in your hands. Berchtold’s chili cheese is based on the finest semi-hard cheese wheels from various selected Bregenzerwald dairies.
It then matures in the cheese cellar of the Berchtold family, where its care and maturation continue.
Our chili cheese develops a wonderful aroma through manual care. Only the cheese rind is coated with the special herb blend. The cut surface is creamy white with beautiful holes and a firm texture.
Our chili cheese belongs to the family of our spicy cheeses in our shop overview.
Characteristics of Chili Cheese
This fine cheese with smooth, tender texture and occasional cherry stone-sized holes is a special treat. Its spicy, tangy flavor and semi-firm texture also make it a favorite snack cheese for locals and guests alike.
The characteristic features of Chili Cheese are significantly influenced by the high-quality Alpine milk, its content and flavor or consistency, and the Vorarlberg Alpine flora. This results in the special quality of Alpine cheese.
The 3-month maturation period brings out the aroma.
Historical Background of Vorarlberg Cheese
Cheese has been produced and matured in Vorarlberg in alpine and valley dairies since the beginning of the last century.
The production method of “fat cheese” (in contrast to low-fat cheese (Sura cheese in Montafon)) originally came from Switzerland and quickly spread in the Bregenzerwald.
Semi-hard cheeses are made from natural (not thermized, pasteurized, or centrifugally de-germed) raw milk (hay milk) with at least 45% F.i.T.
Due to the small-scale farming structure, which supplies the raw materials, and the alpine dairies’ tradition, artisanal production and traditional care of high-quality cheese have been preserved to this day.
More interesting details on semi-hard cheese can be found on Wikipedia.
Holes in Chili Cheese
The tender, smooth texture of chili cheese has cherry stone- to hazelnut-sized holes.
The Chili Cheese Rind
Chili Cheese is a semi-hard cheese with a spice-chili blend on the edible rind.
Storage and Aging of Chili Cheese
The semi-hard cheese is aged in the ripening cellar for about 10 weeks, with regular coating and turning. After this treatment step, the chili spice blend is applied, and the cheese is packaged.
Special Quality Features of Our Semi-Hard Cheese and YES, the Spicy Rind is Easily Edible
- The rind of cheese forms when the cheese wheels are dipped in a iodine-free salt bath after molding.
- The salt bath promotes rind formation and acts against bacteria. Depending on the cheese type, the wheels remain in such a salt bath for varying lengths of time.
- The salt removes water from the cheese wheel. Afterward, the cheese wheels are regularly treated with iodine-free salt & saline solution until fully matured.
Magic for Your Taste Buds
The uniqueness of this chili semi-hard cheese lies in the spice mix. It unfolds its full aroma, making the cheese something truly extraordinary.
Chili Cheese Intensity
How mild or spicy is the cheese? We rate it on a scale of 10, from 0 (mild) to 10 (spicy).
7/10
Chili Cheese Consistency
How firm is the cheese? We rate it on a scale of 10, from 0 (soft) to 10 (firm).
6/10
Chili Cheese Aging Time
How long did the cheese mature? We rate the maturation period between 1 and 12 months.
4/12
Additional Details on Hay Milk Chili Cheese
Milk: | 100% from silage-free hay milk |
Type of Cheese: | Lactose-free semi-hard cheese (SH) |
Maturation Type: | Lactic acid and/or fermentation aging / surface ripening in the cheese cellar with salt care + spice treatment |
Cheese Flavor World: | spicy, aromatic, sharp |
Aging Time: | 3 months fully matured |
F.i.T.: | at least 45% |
Fat Absolute: | approx. 30% |
Allergens: | No additional allergenic potential aside from milk components |
Lactose: | not present |
Rennet: | natural animal rennet |
Salt: | iodine-free table salt |
What makes the cheese special – The Chili Cheese character? | Cheese aroma paired with spices and chili. A unique taste experience! |
How does the Chili Cheese taste? | The flavor is spicy and aromatic, with chilies releasing their heat, making the cheese intensely flavorful. |
What is its texture like? | The dough is semi-firm yet smooth |
What color is the Chili Cheese? | Light yellow to yellow – depending on the season |
How does the cheese dough smell? | Pleasant cheese aroma, combined with fine chili spice nuances |
What does the hole pattern look like? | Occasionally cherry stone- to hazelnut-sized holes |
How is Chili Cheese best enjoyed? | On snack or lunch sandwiches, for breakfast, or simply sliced for dinner.
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What indicates suboptimal ripening – lower quality? | The cheese should be semi-firm but not mushy. |
If you want to store large pieces or a whole cheese wheel for more than 2-3 weeks, we recommend using a dish towel.
Take a clean dish towel, soak it in salt water (simply add a little salt), wring it out, and wrap the cheese with the damp cloth. Ideally, repeat this process every 2-3 days.
If the cheese gets slightly white or develops spots, it is usually the salt or protein, which crystallizes due to temperature differences. These areas are easy to rub off.
Using aluminum foil is possible (although not recommended) if it is perforated with many small holes to allow airflow.
No Bread Contact - Yeast Fungi
Please never store or cut cheese on boards, woods, or surfaces where bread has been before. Bread yeast residues cause cheese to mold quickly.
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