Bargkass, also spelled Bergkäs, Barkas, Barkass or Barikass, is a French pressed cheese, uncooked, or cooked, originating in the Vosges. It is made in the Alsatian and Vosges mountain villages.
It does not have a protected designation of origin because each farm has its own recipe.
Description
The grinding wheel has a diameter of 30 centimeters with 8 cm thick and weighs approximately 7 to 8 kg.
Its fat content is 45% [ref. necessary]. This cheese is often low in salt [ref. necessary].
The Vosges cows grazing on land covered by the typical flora of the Vosges stubble which contains blueberries, the cheese can taste it.
Manufacturing
Raw cow's milk is heated to around 30 ° C. It is then renneted and stirred, then reheated and stirred. Then comes draining, pressing, salting and refining.
The ripening lasts three to six months; the cheese is washed twice a week.
History
Traditionally made on farms in Munster when there is a surplus of milk because the bargkass tommes keep longer.
Etymology
In German, barg means mountain, and käss cheese.
Location
This cheese is made mainly in farm inns dotted in the stubble around the Route des Crêtes, but also in the Guebwiller region.
