🧀 Tilsit cheese

Tilsit, or Tilsiter, is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese named after the East Prussian town of Tilsit, now Sovetsk. Bacteria smeared on its rind during ripening build its flavour, so the same cheese can be mild when young and strongly spicy when old. Today it is made in Switzerland, northern Germany and other countries. ²⁵⁶

Why it carries a town's name. The recipe was first written down in 1840 by a Mrs Westpfahl, who lived on a farm in Tilsit, and the cheese took its name from the place. Swiss cheesemakers who had emigrated for work in the late 19th century helped carry the method back west. After 1945 the town was renamed, so for decades no place called Tilsit existed. In 2007 a Swiss farm took the name, partly to give the Swiss cheese a home against imports. ²⁴⁵

Two main lines. Switzerland dates its Tilsiter to 1893, when Otto Wartmann and Hans Wegmüller began making it in Thurgau. The family says Wartmann changed it, with round holes instead of slits and a smooth paste instead of a crumbly one, which is why the Swiss cheese today has little in common with the original. In Schleswig-Holstein the recipe arrived in the late 19th century but was hardly made before 1900; Holsteiner Tilsiter has been an EU protected name since 2013. Only that full name is protected: “Tilsit” and “Tilsiter” alone stay free to use, so on their own they do not tell you where a cheese comes from. ²³⁴⁵

How it is made. In a Swiss dairy the milk is warmed to 32 °C and set with rennet in about 30 minutes. The curd is cut to the size of maize kernels, and part of the whey is swapped for warm water. This step matters for the texture: the more water stays in the grains, the suppler the finished cheese. After pressing, a classic wheel is about 25 cm across, 8 cm high and 4.3 kg. Nearly 40 hours in brine then draw water from the outer layer, and that forms the rind. ⁶

What the rind does. In a cellar at about 14 °C and 92 % humidity, each wheel is turned and smeared, daily at first. Gases from the breakdown of protein form the holes, and the rind turns brown-red. A study of Tilsit rinds found 5 kinds of yeast and 9 of bacteria. Few of the cultures added on purpose were found again later, so each dairy's own resident microbes play a large part, which helps explain why cheeses of one type differ. Their enzymes are key to developing flavour. ⁶⁹¹⁰

Rules and types. Codex is broad: cows' or buffaloes' milk, at least 30 % fat in dry matter, and normally at least 3 weeks at 10–16 °C. Holsteiner Tilsiter must ripen at least 5 weeks and comes with at least 30, 45 or 60 % fat in dry matter; caraway is the only spice allowed. Swiss types are sold by label colour: green 1–2 months, red at least 3, surchoix at least 4 and black at least 5. As the cheese ages it loses water and gains flavour. ¹²⁷⁸

Tilsit or Tilsiter? They are the same free-to-use words for a family of cheeses; only the full name Holsteiner Tilsiter is protected, so on their own they do not tell you where a cheese comes from. Swiss or German? Swiss Tilsiter dates from 1893 in Thurgau and today has round holes and a smooth paste, whereas the original had slits and a crumbly paste. Holsteiner Tilsiter ripens at least 5 weeks and caraway is the only spice allowed. Both are semi-hard cow's milk cheeses with a smeared rind.

Look for the protected name Holsteiner Tilsiter for the German cheese; a bare "Tilsit" or "Tilsiter" can come from Switzerland, Germany or elsewhere. Swiss types are sold by label colour: green for 1–2 months, red for at least 3, surchoix for at least 4 and black for at least 5. Holsteiner Tilsiter comes with at least 30, 45 or 60 % fat in dry matter. The rind is brown-red. You will find it at a supermarket cheese counter, a delicatessen or a cheesemonger, often as a wedge or slices.

Why it matters to you. Choose by age: young Tilsiter is mild and popular with children, while older types bring strength to a cheese board. For baking, grate or dice it, because slices run; 160–180 °C gives a good melt, 190–200 °C a crisp crust, and too much heat turns it bitter. Low-fat Tilsiter melts unevenly, so use it cold. Swiss makers say the lactose is converted within 48 hours, but if you are sensitive, check with your doctor and read the label. ⁶⁷⁸