Südtiroler Graukäse

Tyrolean grey cheese is a variety of sour cow's milk cheese, traditionally made on lush Austrian pastures from skimmed milk which was previously left to curdle for several days. This cheese is extremely low in fat, it has a thin crackled rind and a crumbly texture.

Named after the grey colored mold which emerges on the surface right after maturation, Tiroler Graukäse exudes a strong, pungent aroma. It is typically crumbled over buttered wholemeal bread, but it is also an essential ingredient in many traditional Tyrolean dishes such as nettle soup with Kaspressknödeln, a variety of cheese dumplings, or Zillertal donuts.

Interestingly, there is also an Italian variety of Gräukase from South Tyrol and it's protected by a PAT designation.