A small loaf or bar of greyish acid-curd cheese made with Tyrolean cow's milk. The paste is greyish green at the edges, lightening to white towards the centre and it has a thin, bluish-grey to green-grey rind with slight cracks. The cheese has some mould veins and sometimes on the surface as well. It is rather dry towards the outside. Aged cheeses are yellow and fattier towards the centre. Graukäse is made in different ways in different parts of the Tyrol valley. In the Upper Inn Valley it is fatty and well-matured, while in the Lower Inn Valley it is curd-like and matures very slowly. Tiroler Graukäse may only be made by authorised producers/processors as part of farm milk processing in the Austrian Bundesland of Tyrol (North Tyrol/East Tyrol). It is usually made with low fat milk which may be either raw or pasteurised. It is made without rennet, just with lactic acid precipitation, so is suitable for vegetarians. It may be found in weighing from 1 to 4 kg (2 lbs to 8 lbs). It is a cheese with a strong, spicy to sharp flavour.
