You are spicy and you can keep a secret like nobody else. People love your bold character, even though they never quite figure you out.
Cheese profile
- MildBold
- SoftFirm
- HomebodyExplorer
- SoloFondue crowd
- ClassicWild
The real cheese facts
- Origin
- Appenzell Innerrhoden and Ausserrhoden, parts of St. Gallen and Thurgau
- Milk
- Raw milk
- Type
- Rubbed by hand with a secret herbal brine
- Ripening
- At least 3 months
- Best for
- Cheese board, raclette, fondue
Source: cheesesfromswitzerland.com · Last checked 28.10.2026
Taste and texture
Tangy and spicy. Switzerland Cheese Marketing calls it the most flavoursome cheese in Switzerland, which is a bold claim in this country. Much of that flavour comes from the herbal brine the wheels are rubbed with.
How to eat it
On the cheese board or simply with bread. There are also versions made for raclette and for fondue. The colour of the label tells you which one you have, and there are plenty: silver, gold, black, purple, two organic greens and more.
Did you know?
The recipe for the herbal brine is a strictly guarded secret. The wheels are rubbed with it by hand for at least three months, and the cheese has been made this way for over 700 years.
Appenzeller or Tilsiter?
Both come from Eastern Switzerland, and both sort their varieties by the colour of the label. Appenzeller is rubbed with a secret herbal brine for at least three months and has been made for over 700 years. Tilsiter is younger: its Swiss recipe dates from 1893, when Otto Wartmann brought it back from Tilsit.
More about Tilsiter →How to keep it
Wrap it in cheese paper or waxed paper rather than cling film, so it can breathe, and keep it in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. Take it out about half an hour before you eat it.
Questions about Appenzeller®
What is in the Appenzeller brine?
That stays a secret. The recipe for the herbal brine is strictly guarded.
Is Appenzeller made from raw milk?
Yes, from natural unpasteurised milk.
How can I tell the quality?
Every wheel has a cheese certificate on its base that vouches for its quality.