Travel Inspiration: My First-Ever Cheese Pilgrimage
If I asked most people I know how they pick where they travel, I’d get replies about an image of a beautiful beach, a famous landmark, an activity on a bucket list, or maybe even a specific cuisine or wine varietal that comes from a particular region. But . . . a cheese?
I’ve always liked cheese, but I’ve never been obsessive about it. Sometimes I have 4 or 5 different types in the refrigerator, sometimes these days just one (parmesan, of course – I do live in Italy after all). So how did someone like me end up driving several hours out of the way to spend a night in a very particular cheese country in the western part of Switzerland, close to the French border??
I had never heard of, seen, or tasted Tête de Moine cheese until March of 2013. And this all began in the most unexpected of places – Melbourne, Australia. It was during the start of what I lovingly refer to as the “Farewell Australia tour,” which is the 3.5 week trip I took to see the main sights of Australia right before flying back to the US and moving to Milan.
Melbourne was the first stop, and fresh with my adventurous travel spirit, I found a fairly nice place for dinner. What sold me was not only the menu and wine list, but the fact that they had a cheese trolley, and I was dining with a friend who loves a good selection of cheeses to close a meal (the restaurant was Merricote, although I don’t know if they’ve carried Tête de Moine cheese since my one and only delicious visit).
At the end of a satisfying meal and excellent wine, we requested the cheese trolley and picked a selection of 3 cheeses. Since they were all displayed on the cart for us, we could pick on sight what looked the most tempting. As soon as the cart arrived, I saw a cylindrical cheese perched on a circular contraption with a blade on top, and thought the serving method looked so fun that I had to see it in action. Seems superficial perhaps, but I’m so glad I was drawn to trying the cheese. It was the Tête de Moine (literally “monk’s head” cheese, our waitress told us) and was shaved into beautiful sections by spinning the blade around.
We may have picked solely on appearances, but the texture and flavor of the cheese was distinct, although tasting similar to other Swiss mountain cheeses I’ve had. You could taste the flavor of the cow’s milk coming through and the folded over shape of the cheese with the ruffled edges gave such a different textures from a soft, creamy cheese or a firmer one. Somewhere in between, hitting that perfect note.
That might have been the end of it. A one-time tasting of a very special Swiss cheese that is not widely available outside of Switzerland, making an already great meal particularly memorable. But of course, once I had seen and tasted the monk’s head cheese, it started appearing again and again.
My first step admittedly after that meal was to do an internet search on “monk’s head cheese,” where I learned that the cylindrical holder with blade is called a girolle and that the curled pieces of cheese that come off the top are called rosettes. The Tête de Moine has competing legends as to the origin of its name, but the reasoning behind the rosettes is to have the right ratio of cheese to air to maximize flavor (which of course appealed to the science geek in me). And the oh-so-clever girolle was only invented to achieve this in the 1980s! It’s pretty exciting when the tool for serving a cheese that has centuries of history was developed in my lifetime.
From there, I started noticing Tête de Moine cheese. At the annual artisanal food fair that takes place in Milan in early December. In the cheese case at one of Milan’s upscale markets. In the cheese aisle at a regular supermarket in France. It even made an appearance on my cheese plate flying Swiss Air back to the US, when I got upgraded to Business Class last-minute on my silver status with United (thanks, Star Alliance).
And then comes the cheese pilgrimage to Bellelay, Switzerland, the origin of Tête de Moine. A lot of times by the time I travel, I’ve done extensive research, made notes, and marked points of interest on a map. The nice thing about making a pilgrimage to a low-key location with a single purpose in mind, there really is not too much to plan.
Bellelay is a charming little town just over an hour’s drive from either Bern or Basel, and not far from Lake Bielersee and its many towns. There are many ways to combine a trip to Bellelay and the nearby dairies with a stay somewhere else, or you can embrace country living for a night. I had a great stay at the Hotel de l’Ours, which also serves a lovely dinner at their restaurant.
And just a short walk away is the Tête de Moine museum, which has a thorough exhibit tracing the geography and history of the cheese, and of course ends where you can enjoy a tasting of the different varieties of Tête de Moine and decide which one to purchase. And all of the cheese accessories you might need, like a proper girolle. Plus, if you’re lucky, they still have bottles of the delicious, local plum-flavored digestif liqueur for sale as well.
There are also a lot of dairies nearby, although some have limited hours on the weekend so be sure to check their schedule, which also varies seasonally. And if you’re looking for other things to do in the region, there is a lot of practical information here about visiting that region of Switzerland.
As I started writing this article, I thought – if I hadn’t moved to Milan after that first taste of Tête de Moine cheese, would I have still made the cheese pilgrimage to Bellelay? Probably not as a stand-alone trip like this one, but as a stopover during a trip to France or Switzerland? Absolutely.
And that is my challenge to you. Is there a specific food, cuisine, or beverage that you absolutely love? Why not travel to where that item originates to experience it in its purest form?
Have you made a similar pilgrimage? Tell me about it in the comments!
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