Epoisses Cheese

Époisses

Cheese is an interesting food. Very interesting. Did you know that is basically curdled milk? Now you do! It’s more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

In my quest for a French food I stumbled across the cheese, Époisses. This pungent cheese hails from the village of Époisses in Côte-d'Or. It is circular, between 10-18cm wide, and has a distinctive red-orange color to it. It became a favorite cheese of Napoleon and the famous epicure, Brillat-Savarin, called it the “king of all cheeses.”  

Époisses is made by heating milk with the coagulation lasting at least 16 hours. The curds are drained into moulds and 48 hours later they are salted and placed on racks to dry. After drying they are moved to cellars to mature and are rinsed up to three times a week with water and marc, which is a type of pomace brandy, this is part of what gives the cheese it’s specific flavor. The yeast and fermenting agents give it the distinctive orange-red exterior.

In the 16^th century there was a Cistercian community that called Époisses home, they were the original producers of the cheese. When they left the village 200 years later they gave the local farmers the recipe. By the 20^th century, there were over 300 farms producing this cheese but due to WWII the male population shrank leading to the women being unable to take care of their farms and also make cheese. This catastrophe almost meant the end of Époisses cheese.

Never fear! In 1956 two farmers, Robert and Simone Berthaut decided to re-launch Époisses cheese production. The Berthaut Époisses gained great success and became a favorite brand among devotees. To this day Époisses has remained a favorite cheese amongst the French people and it holds a special place in the hearts of the Côte-d'Or people.