Époisses
A pungent washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Burgundy.
Époisses, also called Époisses de Bourgogne, is a legally demarcated cheese made in the village of Époisses and its environs in the département of Côte-d'Or, about halfway between Dijon and Auxerre in the former duchy of Burgundy. It is a pungent soft-paste cow's-milk cheese, smear-ripened and washed in brine and Marc de Bourgogne, the local pomace brandy, giving it a distinctive soft red-orange color. Sold in a circular wooden box, it is made from either raw or pasteurized milk and has an edible rind.
Quick Facts
- Country
- France
- Region
- Côte-d'Or
- Source
- Cows
- Texture
- Soft, washed rind
- Aging
- At least six weeks
- Certification
- French AOC 1991
Facts from the source article.
History
Oral legend holds that Cistercians at Cîteaux Abbey began producing the cheese in the early sixteenth century. When the community left two hundred years later, local farmers inherited the recipe, which developed over the next century. Napoleon was particularly fond of it. Production declined after the First World War and virtually ceased by the 1950s. In 1956, Robert and Simone Berthaut relaunched production using traditional skills. Their son Jean Berthaut now carries on the business, and Fromagerie Berthaut manufactures all fermier Époisses, though several artisanal fromageries also produce it.
Manufacture
To make Époisses, whole milk is warmed to about 30°C and left to coagulate for at least 16 hours. The delicate curds are then placed in molds to drain, with the whey running off. After roughly 48 hours, the cheese is removed, salted, and set on racks to dry before being moved to cellars for aging. During maturation, each wheel is hand-brushed and rinsed up to three times a week with a water and marc mixture, which spreads bacteria across the surface. Over about six weeks, yeast and fermenting agents create the cheese’s signature orange-red rind. Since 1991, AOC regulations have governed its production: coagulation must use lactic acid over 16 hours, curds must be cut roughly, only dry salt is allowed, and the cheese can only come from specific communes in Côte-d’Or, Haute-Marne, and Yonne.
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