Morbier
Not many Morbier producers continue to make this cheese in the old traditional way that came about only by the old adage, "waste not, want not," but this one, from the sellers of Jean d'Alos, does. Way back when the Franche-Comte cheesemakers were concentrating on producing Gruyere de Comte, they often had leftover curds at the end of their day. However, they didn't have enough to make a full Gruyere de Comte, so the cheesemakers would make a smaller cheese. After smooshing the leftover curds into a mold, they would blacken their hands by rubbing them on the exterior of the copper pot used for cooking cheese curd. The resulting ash was smeared on top of the evening curd to keep it from drying out over night. The next day, there would be more excess curd from the morning cheesemaking session and that would be laid on top of the ash.
Morbier is smooth, silky, supple, and happily smelly. Proudly sporting a sticky washed and brushed rind, the raw cow milk cheese is aged for four months to result in a sweet cheese with a buttery pungency.
Farm / Company:
Cheesemaker:
Proprietor:
Affineur: Jean d'Alos
City, State:
Region: Franche-Comte
Country: France
Milk Type: Cow
Milk Treatment: Raw
Rennet: Traditional
Rind: Washed
Texture: Firm
Aging: 4 months
Size(s): 13-16 pound wheel
