Michelin-starred chef Stefan Wiesner calls himself an Alchemist. Even if you don’t understand German watch the short video and most likely you will say he has a point. You will get even better arguments with this 11-minutes-documentary. You won’t believe the sources he finds and uses to flavor and/or create meals. It’s absolutely stunning.
So why a cheese with hay bits after his first creation of “Alchemist’s Hay”? You will immediately see and smell the difference. The hay bits are visible not only on the rind but in the paste as well. This, of course, gives a different texture, slightly crunchy. And the aromas of hay are more intense. All products of the "Alchemist's" line are made with "Certified Mountain Meadow Milk", meaning the cows graze in mountain areas and eat grass and hay (in the winter) only. So there's no silage or soy added.
Wiesner’s Restaurant “Rössli” (little horse) as well as the Mountain Dairy Marbach that is the producer of the line are located in the UNESCO Biosphere “Entlebuch”. The Entlebuch is the eastern extension of the Emmental valley where the famous cheese comes from. The region lies at the foothills of the central Swiss Alps. It’s hilly landscape is covered with swamps, marshes, and bogs as well as forests that decorate the slopes of the Alps.