Morbier cheese

Morbier
Country of origin	France
Region, town	Franche-Comté, Morbier[1]
Source of milk	Cows[1]
Pasteurized	Depends on variety
Texture	Semi-soft
Fat content	45%
Certification	Protected Designation of Origin,[2] French AOC for both Morbier Jura and Morbier Doubs
Named after	Morbier
Related media on Commons

Morbier (French pronunciation: [mɔʁbje] ^ⓘ) is a semi-soft cows' milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté.^[3] It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle.^[3] It has a yellowish, sticky rind.^[2]

Description

The aroma of Morbier cheese is mild, with a rich and creamy flavour.^{[1] [4]} It has a semblance to Raclette cheese in consistency.^[5]

The Jura and Doubs versions both benefit from an appellation d'origine protégée (AOP), though other non-AOP Morbier exist on the market.^[6]

Preparation

Traditionally, the cheese consists of a layer of evening milk curd and a layer of morning milk curd.^[3] When making Comté, cheesemakers would end the day with leftover curd that was not enough for an entire cheese.^[3] Thus, they would press the remaining evening curd into a mold, and spread ash over it to protect it overnight.^[3] The following morning, the cheese would be topped with morning milk curd.^[3] The layer of ash is left in place in between the layers of milk.^[1]

Today, it is typically prepared in factories and larger dairy cooperatives from one batch of milk, with the traditional ash line replaced by edible commercial vegetable ash.^[1][3][7]

See also

• List of French cheeses
• List of cheeses

References

1. Fletcher, J.; Pearson, V. (2011). Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying. Chronicle Books LLC. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-4521-1149-0. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
2. Cheese For Dummies. Wiley. 2012. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-118-14552-4. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
3. Jenkins, S.W. (1996). Cheese Primer. Workman Publishing Company. p. 118-120. ISBN 978-0-89480-762-6. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
4. "Morbier". Cheese.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
5. "Fromage à Raclette". Cheese.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
6. "Judgment of 17 Dec 2020, C-490/19 (Syndicat interprofessionnel de défense du fromage Morbier), ECLI:EU:C:2020:1043 ". IPcuria.eu. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
7. Mademoiselle. Condé Nast Publications. 1982. p. 210. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

Further reading

• Jones, Evan (1976). The World of Cheese. Knopf. p. 268. ISBN 0394497554. Retrieved 12 January 2013.