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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Germany, the Allgäu

Allgäuer Bergkäse PDOAllgäuer Bergkäse

Allgäuer Bergkäse is a rind-ripened hard cheese of 15–50 kg made from raw Allgäu milk that may not be warmed above 40 °C before renneting. It has a few pea-sized holes, at least 62 % dry matter, and ripens for at least four months. The registered rules say little about the make itself; the closely related Allgäuer Sennalpkäse shows how such cheeses are cooked, brined and washed. Made in 7 steps over 4.1 months. The longest step, ripen at least four months, takes at least 4 months (Bundesministerium der Justiz 2081). In Allgäuer Sennalpkäse, the alp-made sister cheese: lactic acid bacteria cultures, and optional red smear cultures on the rind does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 4 monthsSet[aberg-app1996][kasev-1b]Ripen at least four months
Temperatureup to 40 °CSet[aberg-app1996][kasev-1b]Collect raw milk, never warmed above 40 °C

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification fixes limits, not a recipe. Each round wheel weighs 15–50 kg at making.
Raw cow milk from the area · Delivered under the 1980 milk-supply rules for Emmentaler dairies; not warmed above 40 °C before renneting[aberg-app1996][kasev-1b]
Cultures and rennet · Not named in the specification[aberg-app1996]
Salt · For brine and rind care; no amount given[ssak-spec2015]
Starter: not named in the specification

Total time across the recorded steps: 4.1 months

Start
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up to 40 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw Allgäu milk, never heated above 40 °C

Step 1 of 7
Collect raw milk, never warmed above 40 °C
Time
Not documented
Temperature
up to 40 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Only raw milk from the area, delivered under the milk-supply rules for Emmentaler dairies of 12 August 1980, may be used.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

It shares its milk rules and area with Allgäuer Emmentaler, but the wheels are much smaller (15–50 kg against 60 kg or more), the holes are pea-sized, not 1–3 cm, and it ripens at least four months with no warm fermentation cellar. Unlike Allgäuer Sennalpkäse, its rules do not tie it to summer alps.

Milk
Raw cow milk from the Allgäu, not heated above 40 °C before renneting
Ripening
At least 4 months
Size
Rind-ripened round wheel of 15–50 kg at making
Holes
Pea-sized, few to sparse
Composition
At least full-fat grade (45–49 % fat in dry matter); dry matter at least 62 %

Related ferments

Safety

This is a raw-milk cheese; the milk may not be heated above 40 °C before renneting. A 2025 study of Alpine raw-milk cheeses names high scalding temperatures, good starter cultures and clean milk as the hurdles that keep Staphylococcus aureus and its toxins down.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins, a known risk in Alpine raw-milk cheeses.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The registration file says Swiss herdsmen who came to the Allgäu around 1820 brought new cheeses such as Emmentaler and also improved the mountain cheese already made there. It was registered as a PDO in 1997.

  1. [aberg-app1996] Bundesministerium der Justiz, Antrag auf Eintragung nach Verordnung (EWG) Nr. 2081/92, 'Allgäuer Bergkäse' g.U. (summary sheet, eAmbrosia attachment 60436)spec
  2. [kasev-1b] Käseverordnung (KäseV), Anlage 1b, geographical designations for Allgäuer Emmentaler and Allgäuer Bergkäse (consolidated text, last amended 24.11.2025)gov
  3. [ssak-spec2015] Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt, Markenblatt Heft 47, 20.11.2015, Teil 7e, Produktspezifikation 'Allgäuer Sennalpkäse' (g.U.) (sister cheese, used here as a nearby product; archived copy)spec
  4. [berger2025] Berger T.F.H. et al. 2025, Critical factors affecting the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and staphylococcal enterotoxins in raw milk cheese in the Alpine region of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, Foods 14:2176 (abstract)paper