Neha Patil (Editor)

Chaource cheese

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Region, town
  
Aube, Yonne

Pasteurised
  
Depends on variety

Fat content
  
~50%

Country of origin
  
France

Source of milk
  
Cows

Texture
  
Soft-ripened

Aging time
  
2-4 weeks

Chaource cheese Chaource cheese Gastronomy amp Holidays guide

Regions
  
Aube, France, Yonne, France

Similar
  
Langres cheese, Époisses de Bourgogne, Brillat‑Savarin cheese, Livarot cheese, Pont‑l'Évêque cheese

Chaource is a French cheese, originally manufactured in the village of Chaource in the Champagne-Ardenne region.

Contents

Chaource is a cow's milk cheese, cylindrical in shape at around 10 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height, weighing either 250 or 450 g. The central pâte is soft, creamy in colour, and slightly crumbly, and is surrounded by a white Penicillium candidum rind.

Chaource cheese Chaource 655 The Cheeseboard

History

Chaource cheese itelegraphcoukmultimediaarchive02010Charouc

The cheese has been made in its namesake village since at least the Middle Ages. Cheese is still manufactured there, ranging from small cheese makers to industrial-scale production further away. It is only made in a tightly controlled area in the départements of Aube and Yonne.

Manufacture

It was recognised as an AOC cheese in 1970, and has been fully regulated since 1977.

The AOC regulations state that:

Chaource cheese Chaource Cheese

  • Coagulation must be principally lactic, and last at least 12 hours.
  • Drainage of the cheese must be slow and spontaneous.

  • Chaource cheese Artisanal Cheese Archives Taste of Cheese Taste of Cheese

    Made using a similar recipe to that of Brie, affinage is usually between two and four weeks and the cheese is generally eaten young. The gently-salted central pâte has a light taste and a characteristic 'melt-in-the-mouth' texture. The fat content is a minimum of 50%.

    Regulations currently allow both pasteurised or unpasteurised milk to be used during manufacture.

    Style

    Chaource cheese Chaource cheese Gastronomy amp Holidays guide

    In her 2010 book Cheese: Exploring Taste and Tradition, Patricia Michelson says: "Chaource has a bitter nutshell-like flavor, with an earthiness reminiscent of the style of the wine here, and you would think it would be a perfect match for the cheese. You should be careful to find the perfect flavor partner, however, because the cheese is also on the salty side."

    References

    Chaource cheese Wikipedia