Aromatic History Today
February 8th, 2010
In Singapore, even the thought of fine French cheeses would turn a smile into a frown immediately. Possibly due to its pungent aroma. Pretty much as the Durian fruit (which we all so love) would do the same to the French. I was guilty of turning my nose up at cheese once. Then the person whom I still regard to as my chef, my mentor, Mr Julien Bombard,(Chef Patron of Saint Julien le Restaurant, Restaurant Julien Bombard and Le Fromagerie his cheese shop) introduced me into the world of wonderful French Cheeses. I must say, I’ve never looked back since! Even today, like a kid in a toy store I never fail to be excited (sometimes disappointed) to see what’s in store on the cheese trolley when we dine out. The one which tops my list of favourite cheeses (and mind you the list is rather long) would be the Époisses. Nothing seems better than a 250gm wheel of it with warm baguette and a chilled glass of white (even though a Chablis is most recommended, I tend to prefer it paired with a chilled Riesling from Grosset or to make the Connoisseurs frown even more with a chilled glass of Muscat from Domaine Trimbach, Alsace).
A quick re-cap on the history of Époisses cheese.
Époisses cheese originated as early as the XVIth century in a religious community of monks in the small village of Époisses for nearly 2 centuries. Found in the commune of Côte-d’Or, of France. Some halfway between Dijon and Auxerre.
The recipe was later handed over to the peasants in the valley after the departure of the monks. The Burgundy farmers’ wives were solely responsible for making the original cheese from which was passed down from the monks. Over time, they introduced their own traditional skills into the process and improved the quality of this outstanding cheese.
Sadly during the war, the women were left to work in the fields alone. Without time to take care of the cheese making or selling the cheese in local markets, the dairies became neglected. By 1954 Époisses had all but disappeared form the farms.
In 1956 a pair of small farmers, Robert and Simone Berthaut decided to re-launch the production of Époisses by mobilizing the traditional skills of those who still knew how to make the cheese. Berthaut Époisses rapidly gained favour among everyone and became a spectacular success. In 1991, the Époisses obtained the Appelation of Origine Controlée Époisses of Burgundy, then Époisses in 1999.
The fabrication technique is very specific and particularly complex: the milk stemming from qualified producers undergoes a slow coagulation, and then the hooping is made with care to allow a good drainage. A patient re-wiping precedes the maturing of about five weeks, during which the cheese receives manual and individual care, two to three times a week, with water loaded more and more with Marc de Bourgogne. Its rind then slowly takes on a beautiful red-orange tint. Its aroma is rich. Its flavours stay sweet and subtle. The Époisses has a maturation of 7 weeks and a maximum of 11 weeks. The standard weight of the cheese is 9oz with a fantastic fat content of close to 50%. Traditional Cheese makers never alter the size nor the weight of cheeses, as they believe that each one is distinct and the perfect flavour of the cheese is measured down to its standard weight and size.
In 2008, the Époisses Berthaut won the World Championship cheese contest being recognised as best of its class. As well as the MÉDAILLE D’OR Paris 2009. Now how can anyone question a cheese of this level ?!?!
