Maroilles cheese
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northern France.
Maroilles, sometimes called Marolles, is a cow's-milk cheese from northern France, named after the village where it is still made. It comes in rectangular blocks with a moist, orange-red washed rind and a pungent smell.
Quick Facts
- Other names
- Marolles
- Country
- France
- Source
- Cows
- Texture
- Soft cheese with washed rind
- Aging
- 2–16 weeks
- Certification
- French AOC 1976, AOP 1996
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Maroilles is often reported to have first been made in 962 by a monk in the Abbey of Maroilles.
- It was a favourite of several French kings including Philip II, Louis IX, Charles VI and Francis I.
- Related cheeses in the Maroilles family include Boulette d'Avesnes, Gris de Lille, and Rollot.
Manufacture
After shaping and salting, the curd leaves its mold for a roughly ten-day stint in a ventilated drying room, where a light bacterial coating forms. Next, it gets brushed, washed, and aged in a cellar for at least five weeks—often up to four months. Regular turning and brushing remove white mold, letting red bacteria shift the rind from yellow to red. The final cheese, at least 45% fat, comes in pasteurized and unpasteurized versions.
More in French Cheeses with Protected Designation of Origin
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