Chaource cheese
A soft cow's milk cheese with a white rind.
Chaource is a French cheese made from cow's milk, originally produced in the village of Chaource in the Champagne-Ardenne region. It is cylindrical, about 10 cm in diameter and 6 cm high, weighing either 250 g or 450 g. The cheese has a soft, creamy pâte that is slightly crumbly, encased in a white Penicillium candidum rind.
Quick Facts
- Country
- France
- Source
- Cows
- Texture
- Soft-ripened
- Aging
- 2–4 weeks
- Certification
- French AOC 1977
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The cheese has been made in its namesake village since at least the Middle Ages.
- Production ranges from small cheese makers to industrial-scale operations further away.
- Patricia Michelson described Chaource as having a bitter nutshell-like flavor with earthiness reminiscent of the local wine style.
Manufacture
Chaource cheese has been a protected Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) product since 1970, with full regulations in place from 1977. These rules require that coagulation be primarily lactic and take at least twelve hours, while drainage must happen slowly on its own. The recipe is similar to Brie, and the cheese is aged for two to four weeks, usually enjoyed young. Its lightly salted interior offers a mild flavor and a distinctive melt-in-the-mouth feel. The minimum fat content is 50 percent. Both pasteurized and unpasteurized milk are allowed in production.
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