Gruyère (UK: /ˈɡruːjɛər/, US: /ɡruːˈjɛər, ɡriˈ-/, French: [ɡʁɥijɛʁ] ⓘ; German: Greyerzer, Italian: Groviera) is a hard Swiss cheese that originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, and Berne in Switzerland.

Gruyère is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese and is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavour that varies widely with age.

When fully aged (five months to a year), it tends to have small cracks that impart a slightly grainy texture.

It is used, grated, atop le tourin, a garlic soup from France served on dried bread.

[citation needed] To make Gruyère, raw cow's milk is heated to 34 °C (93 °F) in a copper vat, and then curdled by the addition of liquid rennet.

After salting in brine and smearing with bacteria,[4] the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature, generally on wooden boards, turning every couple of days to ensure even moisture distribution.

The PGI documentation also requires that French Gruyère has holes "ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry", a significant departure from the Swiss original.

[8] Gruyere (as a Swiss AOC) has many varieties with different age profiles, and an organic version of the cheese is also sold.

A special variety is produced only in summer in the Swiss Alps and is branded as Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC Alpage.

They withdrew from the government's Gruyère program, and "created" their own cheese - L'Etivaz - named for the village around which they all lived.

[18] The French Le Brouère cheese, made in nearby Vosges, is considered a variant of Gruyère.

[19] Γραβιέρα (graviera) is a popular Greek cheese which resembles Gruyère and is an EU Protected Designation of Origin.