Today we traveled to Trubschachen in the heart of the Emmental, in the heart of Switzerland! I'm in Emmental cheese and Kambly biscuit country! Two of the finest Swiss products!
Emmi is short for emmental.
Fondue anyone?
There is a large Nestlé plant in Konolfingen.
The German train was late as usual so we missed our connection in Thun. It is no problem as we stayed on the train and continued into Bern; switched trains and went onto Trubschachen. On the way back to Interlaken West, we took the more scenic way; so we changed onto regional trains in Langnau, Konolfingen, and Thun.
Trubschachen is first mentioned in 1667 as Trueberschachen.
"The municipality grew out of a cluster of six farms along the banks of the Ilfis river during the Middle Ages The parishes of Langnau im Emmental and Trub both claimed the farm houses. In 1666, they were divided, with three going to each parish. As the settlement grew and the situation in surrounding municipalities changed, the farms were too far from either municipality. In 1727, the farms began to exercise limited self-government, passing laws regarding the poor and citizenship. In 1737, a school opened in the community, which was known as Schachen at the time. This was followed by establishing a village police force in 1773 and collecting taxes in 1775-77. An einwohnergemeinde or citizen's community was founded in 1852, though it was called Innerer Lauperswilviertel until 1867. It became an independent parish in 1874 and the parish church was built in 1890-92. The political municipality was created in 1923 from parts of Trub and Langnau.
Traditionally the residents of the area raised crops on the valley floor. In the 18th century they began weaving canvas and proessing milk into cheese. The first cheese factory opened in 1827 and by 1900 there were five in the municipality. Today that number has shrunk to only two. In 1875, the Bern-Luzern railroad connected Trubschachen to the growing Swiss rail network and brought industry into the municipality. In 1910, the Kambly Biscuit factory opened and became the largest employer. Other industries settled in the area as well. Today tourism is a small, but a significant part of the local economy and since 1964 painting exhibitions draw many tourists to the municipality.
Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese.
Emmental was first mentioned in written records in 1293, but first called by its present name in 1542. It has a savory but mild taste. While the denomination "Emmentaler Switzerland" is legally protected, "Emmentaler" alone is not; similar cheeses of other origins, especially from France, the Netherlands, Bavaria, and Finland, are widely available and sold by that name. In some parts of the world, the names "Emmentaler" and "Swiss cheese" are used interchangeably for Emmental-style cheese.
Three types of bacteria are needed to prepare Emmental. Historically, the holes were a sign of imperfection, and until modern times cheese makers would try to avoid them. Nowadays, however, eye formation is valued as a sign of maturation and quality and for example acoustic analysis has been developed just for this purpose. Emmental cheese is usually consumed cold, as chunks or slices, and is also used in a variety of dishes, particularly in gratins and fondue, where it is mixed with Gruyère.
Emmentaler Switzerland AOC was registered in 2000 as an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC). In 2013, it was replaced by the appellation d'orogine protégée (AOP) certification. This original Emmental is produced in small rural dairies with raw cow's milk, adding only natural ingredients (water, salt, natural starter cultures and rennet); preservatives or ingredients from genetically modified organisms are not allowed. The cheese is produced in a round shape with a natural rind, and aged in traditional cellars for a minimum of four months. This Emmental has three age profiles: classic, aged at least four months; reserve, aged at least eight months; and Premier Cru, aged at least fourteen months.
The next time you put a piece of Swiss cheese on that sandwich, you can now picture the region it came from." They have happy cows in the Emmental region!!!
We cast our bells in this building, about 8 years ago. Michael and I were wondering if they still did this.
This is the house where we purchased the leather strap that goes around the cow's neck that attaches to the bell. Some day, I want to "rent a cow". I already have the bell for the alpabzug (the parade of cows coming down from the the high pastures in Fall. We love our Swiss bells!
Kambly has epitomized the Swiss tradition of fine biscuits for four generations.
We call them cookies where Kambly refers to them as biscuits. It really doesn't matter what you call them. They are so delicious!
There is even a Kambly train for the Kambly experience.
The children enjoy playing with the wooden Kambly toys.
Every cow needs a bell.
Due to Covid, there is no tasting of the biscuits.
Kambly is Switzerland's best known and most favored biscuit brand and is considered to be the world-wide leader in quality and innovation in premium biscuits (cookies).
There are so many choices!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did not take pictures of everything.
These are out of beets. They are one of many favorites of mine.
Beloved by generations, these goldfish are as tasty and crispy as ever, now with spelt and whole grains. The handy, crispy nibble for both young and old is perfect for picnics at home, as an aperitif or a snack on the go.
Kambly had goldfish long before Pepperidge Farm did.
Zweiback. Loved these as a child. Actually, I still do.
These are new this year. Bretzeli with chocolate.
chocolate hearts
Do you want the biscuits in a specialty tin or box?
This is a guessing game. How much pistachios, caramel pieces, almonds and chocolate is used at Kambly?
2200 pounds
331,000 pounds
11,000 pounds
1,962,000 pounds
Specialty biscuits
So cute
Kambly and Cailler are working together on more products. How can you go wrong with biscuits and chocolate?
We have taken a couple baking classes from Fränzi (left). Over the years we have become friends. In fact, we are invited to her and Marcel's house for dinner tomorrow evening.
Taking some biscuits home! They will have their own suitcase.
This evening, we had dinner with our friends, Sharon and Bennett, niece, Emily. She is traveling around Europe. It was fun to share our special place with someone else.
