Page 38 - DIVA1 2026

Savour

the

moment!

By Evelina Rioukhina

You can do that quite literally! You can taste, but also for its world-renowned watchmaking
smell, and savour time! Let me explain. tradition, celebrated for its precision and
Inspired by the theme of time in this issue of unparalleled quality. Thus, L’Horloger cheese
Diva International Diplomat magazine, I would brings together nature and craftsmanship to
like to suggest an article about a very special, create a true masterpiece. 180 days are needed to
unusual, and exclusive cheese that ….shows meticulously mature the cheese, which gives this
the time. While conducting my research on cheese its harmonious aroma and flavour and
the Swiss cheeses, I came across an innovative exceptional buttery texture.
timepiece cheese called L’Horloger. Watchmaking
is an intangible Swiss cultural heritage (included Each wheel of L’Horloger proudly bears an
on the UNESCO list) and cheese is a national elegant watch face, with 60 minutes forming
Swiss dish—I once referred to it as the a beautiful analogy between cheese and time.
country’s ‘national DNA’ in my research—so One hour of cheese (i.e. one wheel) weighs 8 kg;
the combination of these two concepts did consequently, half an hour weighs 4 kg, and one
not surprise me. However, when I saw a huge minute represents approximately 130 grams of
‘cadran’ with the most intricate mechanism, I the finest cheese. Nobody will be surprised if you
was blown away, as it was a true work of art. The ask for 5 or 10 seconds of cheese. Once this piece
wheel represented a highly precise timekeeping of ‘time’ is on your plate, you can touch, smell
mechanism similar to those seen in houses and savour it. Cut yourself a tiny slice of time, of
or clock towers, except this one was made of less than a second and savour the moment!
cheese. This semi-hard cheese was invented
by Spielhofer Dairy in the Swiss Jura region. It It is not only the taste that impressed me, but
is produced using raw milk from cows fed the also the design of the highest horlogerie with
finest local herbs and flowers, which give the complications on the cheese. I instinctively felt
cheese its unique flavour. The Swiss Jura region that this was not just an innovation, but that a
is renowned not only for its exceptional cheeses deeper link probably exists, because it was clear

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h