What is in the middle of Morbier cheese?

What is in the middle of Morbier cheese?

ash
The ash you see in the middle of morbier nowadays is actually vegetable charcoal. However, the traditional process of making morbier involved real ash to protect the fermented cheese from damage and insects.

What kind of cheese is Morbier?

milk cheese
Morbier is a semi-soft cows’ milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté. It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle.

What is Morbier cheese similar to?

Morbier was first produced more than 250 years ago in the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté, a province in eastern central France, bordering Switzerland. It’s a semisoft raw cow’s milk cheese similar to Gruyère, but it has a signature stripe of ash through the middle.

What is the ash in Morbier cheese?

Now, Morbier wheels are formed whole, then split and sprinkled with ash. Today, the ash used in cheese is a fine, food-grade powder made from burning grapevines or wood. Ash doesn’t create a gritty texture, and it’s odorless, tasteless, and sterile—your body doesn’t even digest it.

What does Morbier smell like?

bitter
Morbier. Morbier hails from France and is named after a village in Franche-Comte. It is classified as a semi-soft cheese and made out of cow’s milk. Aside from its very pungent and bitter smell, it is also characterized by a black layer of ash that runs through the middle of the cheese.

Can you eat the rind of Morbier?

The texture of Morbier is semi soft, supple and springy, with small “eyes,”‘ or holes, and the distinctive layer of ash running horizontally thought the center. The color of the paste is a creamy-straw yellow, darkening towards the rind. The rind is edible and often has slightly crunchy granules present.

Is Morbier cheese good?

Contrary to its smell, Morbier has a mild taste and leaves a wonderful, nutty aftertaste. Its flavor is complex and fruity flavor with a slight zing. Not only serving as a divide, the vegetable ash separating the cheese layers makes an aesthetic, dramatic presentation and has a complex, bold flavor.

How do you eat Morbier cheese?

It has a washed rind and tastes like nuts and fruit. Morbier is a semi-soft cheese with a fresh hay aroma. You can serve it alone but it is great on sandwiches and melts great so you may want to try it in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Why does Morbier have ash?

About two hundred years ago when Morbier was first made it was made strictly for the cheesemakers consumption. The cheesemaker would press the leftover curd from the evening’s production of Comte into a round mold and cover that curd with a thin layer of ash to prevent it from drying out.

Is Morbier washed rind?

What is Morbier cheese good with?

Morbier cheese can be served as an appetizer on crackers or with chutney added to enhance the flavor. It is a good cheese to serve on crackers or with bread served fresh or melted over the bread. And, it also serves well on grilled foods. Raclette cheese can be used as a substitute if desired.

Is Morbier vegetarian?

When it’s young, Morbier has a mild, rich and creamy flavour, with a nutty flavour. With age, it becomes richer and sharper with a more pronounced flavour. An unpasteurised cheese that is not suitable for vegetarians.

What is secret de Scey cheese?

This change has led to the creation of Secret de Scey, a cheese made to the same recipe as Morbier, only from pasteurised milk. Historically made on the farm from two milkings, the mornings milk would be processed (curdled, drained and set) then a layer of ash and salt would be applied to the top of the fresh curd to stop it drying out.

What is the difference between Morbier and Secret de Scey?

Morbier must be made from unpasteurised milk. This change has led to the creation of Secret de Scey, a cheese made to the same recipe as Morbier, only from pasteurised milk.

What makes a cheese a Morbier?

As it matures the cheese develops an ivory-coloured semi-soft interior and mild creamy flavour. Changes to the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) governing the making of Morbier cheese in France mean that cheese made from pasteurised milk can no longer be called Morbier. Morbier must be made from unpasteurised milk.