Saturday May 16th Melissa and I journeyed to the canton of Fribourg, and the towns of Gruyères and Broc.  On the menu were Gruyère cheese, and the Cailler chocolate factory tours.

Our first stop was  Gruyères.  The train ride was an hour and a half long complete with typical Swiss views of rolling hills, pasture, farm fields, and the Alps off in the distance.  About a mile outside the town we saw Gruyères’s medieval castle and walled city on a high hill, dwarfed by the foothills of the Alps in the background.  The view was so stereotypical Swiss that it seemed cartoonish.

The train station is at the bottom of the hill and La Maison Du Gruyère is right across the street from it.  We waited in line for about 15 minutes to buy admission and that’s about how long the tour lasted. It’s a self guided tour, where you are given an audio guide and have to type in display numbers to hear “Cherry” the cow tell you about the cheese making process.

Besides hearing, and seeing, the tour also makes use of the sense of smell.  According to Cherry, since the milk used in Gruyère cheese comes from cows that have grazed in Alpine meadows, the flavors from the different grasses and plants get transferred to the cheese. In part of the tour there are little capsules you can open to sniff various alpine plants.  The idea that the cows diet changes the cheeses flavor is a big reason that to call your cheese Gruyère, all the milk has to come from certified dairy farms in a small section of Switzerland.

The tour finished off with an overlook into the cheese factory, where a worker was stirring a big vat of milk, and we could see all the other cheese making equipment we had learned about.  With our 7 franc admission price we also received three samples of Gruyère cheese at different ages to taste test.

After the cheese factory, we made the short hike uphill to check out the old town and castle.  No cars are allowed up on the hill, but inside the walls the streets were filled with other tourists.  We didn’t enter the castle because an admission was required, but we found some nice views for free along the walking path that goes all around it.

Very close to Gruyères is the town of Broc and our last stop, the Cailler chocolate factory.  Cailler is a famous brand in Switzerland, now owned by Nestle, and all their chocolate is made in Broc. The chocolate tour was more popular than the cheese tour, and we had to wait 45 minutes after buying our tickets until our group number was called and our tour could start.

The wait was worth it.  The tour was fun and we got chocolate at the end!  Our group had about 20 people in it, and also made use of audio guides.  We began by all entering a dark elevator, then moving through a series of rooms to learn about the history of chocolate from the Aztecs, to the Dominicans trying to outlaw it, to the French revolution letting poor people taste it, all the way to the present day in Switzerland.  Each room had at least one thing, such as a suit of armor or bicycle, that would move at a certain time in the presentation.  After the audio guide finished talking about each room a secret door would open to the next room, and once everyone was inside it would close and the audio guide would start describing that room.

After the history rooms there was a big room to explore at your own pace.  The room had pictures of people that contribute to the production of chocolate, and displays of the plants that make chocolate bars.  All around there were little squares to scan with the audio guide, and then you could listen to the people talk about their jobs, or get a description of the steps it takes to turn the products into chocolate.

My only complaint about this area is I feel it glossed over conditions on sugar and cocoa plantations.  I’ve read there are big problems with sustainable farming and wages and I think it would be interesting to know what they are doing about it.  All I heard them mention is that they only use UTZ certified cocoa.

The last and best part of the tour was tasting.  There was a big counter with nine different types of chocolates laid out, all of the fancy type one would find in a box of chocolates. Melissa and I both tried them all, then I went back for seconds and thirds of my favorite one.  With bellies full of Switzerland’s best cuisine we boarded the train for the hour and a half ride home through the scenic countryside.

[Show slideshow]