Morbier
Mmmm.
Ok, it happened again. I met another cheese I did not like. I wanted to like it, really I did, but I was immediately put off by the very strong, very ripe aroma.
This French AOC semi-soft cheese is made by Les Monts De Joux and is apparently, (according to my cheesemonger), about to be banned in the USA by the FDA because of the ash layer in the center. Haven’t been able to confirm this.
These cheese is ivory in color, semi-soft yet pliable. It has a washed rind and a layer of black ash in the center. The ways the cheese is made is interesting.
This is what Wikipedia has to say about it: “Traditionally, the cheese consists of a layer of morning milk and a layer of evening milk. When making Gruyère de Comté, cheesemakers would end the day with leftover curd that was not enough for an entire cheese. Thus, they would press the remaining evening curd into a mold, and spread ash over it to protect it overnight. The following morning, the cheese would be topped up with morning milk. Nowadays, the cheese is usually made from a single milking with the ash added for tradition.”
I’ve read elsewhere that this cheese is “mild” and enjoyable in flavor, but I found it very strong, sour and over-ripe. Perhaps I should give it another try. But at the moment, I really thought the flavor was very, very strong. It’s aroma and flavor reminded me of very sour milk.
Quick Facts
$15.99 lb
Raw cows milk
Traditional Rennet
Layer of ash inside
Hi there,
The first time I had Morbier was at a cheese tasting (at a hospital strangely enough) and it was heavenly. It was like mild version of blue cheese I guess. I found it at a Giant grocery store and was so excited that I splurged and bought a wedge. When I opened the package it almost knocked me over, it smelled like baby-diaper! Not trusting my nose, I thought maybe it was because I just opened it and it was stronger than I remember. Well, I tried it and my dinner almost came up and it probably would have tasted better than the cheese! It tasted like bad seafood or rotten milk. It was the worst thing I have put in my mouth since I got a carton of rotten milk when I was in high school and that stuff was pretty much cheese by the time I tried it…I don’t know if I will be so eager to try it again, but when I looked up a little more information it seems that since it was pre-cut then the bacteria from the orange rind had time to grow on the cheese making it bitter.
Hi Lori
Thanks so much for for your comment and I’m very glad to hear that Morbier can be heavenly! I have not been brave enough to try it again but if I do, I will most likely ask the cheese monger to let me smell it before I buy. Perhaps the lesson here IS to trust your nose
Karen