Morbier
Cow's cheese • Semi soft • French
£4.40 – £34.00
A pinky orange washed rind with an ivory centre, bisected by a horizontal layer of ash. Rich and creamy in the mouth with a subtle and pleasant bitter finish.
Location:
Franche-Comté, Morbier, France
Tasting notes:
What a surprise! A blue cheese? Nope!
On a family holiday in France a few years ago we were lucky enough to stay in Bourcefranc-le-Chapus. With a supply of fresh bread from the excellent Le Fournil d’Etienne bakery we took it upon ourselves to expand our knowledge of the amazing selection of cheeses under our noses. One of those was Morbier, and we made the same mistake that many do in assuming that this was a blue cheese…
But of course, those in the know already know! A layer of ash traverses the centre of this wonderfully full flavoured treat of a cheese. Historically Morbier is inextricably linked the production of Comte; using the leftovers, the bit that just wouldn’t fit, so why waste? By the magic of French cheese making alchemy, the leftover curds from the morning’s cheese making were placed in a mould upon which a thin layer of ash was added to stop a skin forming, then another layer of curds on top from the evening milking. A firm winner in its own rite, Morbier is now made in one process but a layer of vegetable ash is still added as a nod to its provenance.