Train Travel, Chocolate and Cheese
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| By
Barry Sheppard |
| Doing What The Swiss
Do Best in Train travel, Chocolate and Cheese |
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| Dark, milky or white?
The dilemma of which to try first. Travelling by train and
sitting snugly aboard the "Chocolate Train", after studying
a selection that would make Willy Wonka's eyes glaze over,
I settle on a discrete nibble of Cailler blanc. The cheese
will have to wait. |
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| The Swiss Alps drift
by as we climb up on the train from Montreux heading into
the mountains towards the medieval town of Gruyeres. We
will be visiting the cheese dairy there to find out the
secrets behind the production of the world famous wheels
of Gruyere. Then a short ride onward to visit the sleepy
town of Broc and the Nestle chocolate factory. If you're
a lover of both vices, how can you be sure which stop to
was looking forward to the most. |
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| The elegance of the
old Pullman Rail Express carriages provides the perfect
setting for a gentle meander through Switzerland's scenery.
Wood panelling, old brass lamps and faded jade velvet demand
an Agatha Christie novel or two. |
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| In the middle ages
the town came to be known as Gruyeres. Noblemen used a white
crane (a "grue") as an emblem on their red flags, hence
the christening of the region. The production of cheese
made several fortunes and the lucky ones became known as
cheese barons. Since the 12th century, the cheese with its
subtle and sophisticated taste has been produced in the
region. |
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| The guide meets you
off the train and as soon as you step foot onto the platform,
the sweet smell of Gruyeres welcomes you like a long lost
friend. Even though the train station is a good 10 minute
walk way from the dairy, there is no chance of getting lost
as long as you follow your nose. |
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| Before long, you
are in front of what can only be described as a library
of cheese wheels. A huge vault with towering shelves and
shiny robotic arms lift and file away life-belt size circles
of cheese. This is where the cheese comes to mature, anywhere
from 5 to 10 months. |
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| Watch transfixed
as the cheese-maker stirs huge copper kettles and then begin
cutting the curd from a solid mass into smaller particles.
The grains and the whey separate and the contents of the
vat minus the whey are then poured into the ready made moulds.
Casein marks are added identifying the day and month of
production and then the wheels go through a 16 hour pressing
period, followed by a 20-hour salt bath. After this, the
robots go to work in the maturing vault. |
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| Two hours later,
back on the Chocolate Train for a short ride to the neighbouring
village of Broc. At the beginning of the 20th century, Switzerland's
share of the world chocolate export market was 55 per cent.
The F-L Cailler factory in Broc, now Nestle, was one of
the largest producers of chocolate. The whole factory used
to be open to the public, but now only a very small section
can be viewed by visitors. After a short introductory film,
you are free to stroll around displays such as old Cailler
posters and chocolate boxes before you are allowed to view
the "conching" process. Peering through a small window,
you can see white coats glide around supervising the conches
which are basically machines designed to liquefy the chocolate.
Fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be disappointed
as there wasn't a chocolate waterfall in sight, but after
a few minutes of watching the swirling chocolate flanked
by pink bubblegum pipes, thoughts of Oompa Lumpas did begin
to surface. |
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| The highlight of
the visit was in the form of the tasting room. Row upon
row upon row of chocolate in every different shape and texture
one could dream of, are laid out on little silver plates
for all to sample. |
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| General Information:
Ads are not allowed on this site. It's for this reason that
I do not include contact or other details. These are available
on my website. Most articles mention trains starting from
London but you can join these trains in Europe |
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| Publishing pro and
established author/filmmaker Barry Sheppard has written
and published many books with hundreds of reviews in newspapers,
TV and radio and has written over 140 articles on train
travel. He is now concentrating on writing eBooks/articles
on writing, video, publishing and starting his own television
station. He also runs the website
http://www.traintraveller.com |
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