Is Swiss Appenzeller cheese really raw?

[macgeek2005]

I was looking through the cheese section at Whole Foods recently, looking for raw cheeses, and came across Appenzeller, which said "Raw full fat cows milk" in the ingredients, which sounded great. So I bought it, and it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten in my life.

My question, obviously, is, is it really raw? Or is there heat involved in the making of it, even though the milk is "unpasteurized"?

[balancing-act]

We just had this conversation in the "goats cheese vs. cow's cheese" thread. I've never even heard of Appenzeller, though, so I personally can't help you. I will say that I've noticed a clear difference in the positive from quitting dairy recently- that's just me, though.

[Dorothy]

Appenzeller is heavenly. But I'm afraid to tell you that no matter what it says on the label, the only way to know if no heat was used or not is to call the manufacturer.

Raw milk means that it was not pasteurized before production but it might very well have been heated during production. Ingredients: raw milk, means that, just an ingredient. 

[cherimoya_kid]

Generally Appenzeller is a cooked-curd cheese.  So, no, not raw.  Any hard cheese is probably cooked, unless you know otherwise, directly from the cheesemaker.