I read about a cheese made in the Lucerne area called Schwyzer Bergkristall. I saw it on a post in the cheese area of Reddit and the author of the post went on to say how delicious it is and what a wonderful cheese this would be to taste. That piqued my interest in it and I have done some research and it seems it is not available in the US, at least I cannot find a source (even Igourmet does not seem to have it). So, when my wife and I will be in Bavaria next September, I was thinking about going to Lucerne to enjoy the beauty and culture there and see if the cheese may be tasted there. Has anyone ever heard of this particular cheese? Or has anyone ever had experiences sourcing out cheese while visiting in Switzerland. I am open to ideas to help with this odd quest.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
I'd never heard of it, I don't recall ever seeing it in a supermarket.
A little googling turned up: https://www.ecoinform.de/Schwyzer-Bergkristall,-Bio-Suisse---Theke.Detail;110734.html
and: http://www.oema-dbeers.de/kaese-und-mehr/bio-kaese.php?artikelgruppe_id=167
and: https://www.bio123.de/produkt/oma/schwyzer-bergkristall-bio-suisse-theke
The last one is a German website (.de), and there is a link to local dealers: https://www.bio123.de/anbieter/kategorie/bioladen-biosupermarkt
Including some in Munich!
These sites say it is from the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Luzern) area.
Beware if googling "Schwyzer Bergkristall.", the literal translation is "Swiss mountain crystal", a lot of the hits were about minerals!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16224 posts
I googled Schwyzer Bergkristall Käse and got lots of results, including those posted by Chris. All seem to have the same description, in the same words, basically a hard, aged cheese made in the Vierwaldstätter ( aka Lake Lucerne) region.
This one has the wording and offers it for sale in small quantities:
Other websites offer whole uncut wheels.
But you don't want to have it shopped to the US; you want to find it in Switzerland.
I looked up the cheese maker, Erich Reichmuth at Schwyzer Milchuus:
They do not list the Bergkristall cheese among their products, but there is a Kontact form you could try.
In the meantime, you can watch the video on their website, or use this YouTube link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Rv-XkrCzs
Oddly enough, it opens with a shot of the Matterhorn.
At the very end, they say their cheese is also sold in Germany, so you could ask about that when you contact them.
Several of the websites list the main company as ÖMA Beer, GMBH. I found two addresses, one in Kisslegg, Schwyz ( Inmenrieder Strasse4, 88353 Kisslegg) and the other in Linderberg I'm Allgäu, which is in Southern Germany.
I hope you can find a place to buy it!
Posted by
OP
Tyler, TX, USA
162 posts
Thanks so much to your investigative work on my behalf. I will pursue this fascination and maybe we can find it when we are there in September. I appreciate you.