Description
The Mont d'Or PDO is a soft-paste cheese produced exclusively with milk from cows of Montbéliarde or French Simmental breeds nurtured with grass and hay.
Production Area
The production area of Mont d'Or PDO is located in some municipal areas of the department of Doubs with are near the Doubs source and Saut du Doubs, in the region of Franche Comté.
Production Method
The milk used for the production can be heated only once at a maximum temperature of 40°C and only before curdling. The curd is obtained adding animal rennet. Later by means of a linen cloth the farmer eliminates the curd lumps leaving only the whey. Later, the curd is put into moulds consisting of red deal bark which is bonded to become round. The cheese ripens on red deal wood boards for almost 3 weeks at a maximum temperature of 15°C and is upturned more times before being wrapped into the characteristic pinewood or read deal package. It is produced only from 15th August to 15th March.
Appearance and Flavour
Mont d'Or PDO has a soft paste, uncooked, slightly pressed, with a creamy consistency and slightly salted, white or ivory colour. The rind is washed and the colour goes from yellow to dark brown. It has a flattened, cylindrical shape and a variable weight between 480 gr and 1.3 kg or 2 kg and 3.2 kg. The flavour is slightly acid, bodied, with herby notes.
History
Mont d'Or PDO's name comes from the peak of the department of Doubs, the Gold Mountain. It has been produced for many centuries in the town of Haut-Doubs, where, at the beginning of autumn, the herds went back to stalls after having passed the summer in the alpine pastures. When the amount of milk necessary to prepare Gruyere was not enough, small cheeses were produced with a smaller amount of milk, and they were called Fromages de boëtte or de crème.
Gastronomy
Mont d'Or PDO is conserved in its original package stored in the least cold compartment of the refrigerator. It can be eaten cold or warm. The best way to taste its soft and creamy paste is with a spoon directly from the package. Generally, Mont d'Or can be tasted at the end of a meal, but it is much appreciated heated in its package and accompanied by smoked sausages of Haut-Doubs like ham and Morteau sausage. It is ideal with white and red wines from Jura, Savoy and Jurançon.
Marketing
The product is sold only as Mont d'Or PDO. It is marketed only from 10th September to 10th May, due to the limited period of production. Whole, it is individually packed into box in deal wood equipped with a protection package. The cheese cannot be sold in slices, except of when sold directly to the consumer. The previous cutting in slices and package are permitted at the point of sales if the period between cutting and sales to the consumer is within the same day and the two following days until the closure of the shop.
Distinctive Features
The production of milk, the production and ripening of the cheese must be made at a height of at least 700 metres above sea level. Ripening of Mont d'Or PDO takes place in the deal wood box where it is packed, which is small and narrow and useful to shape the cheese as the mountainous massifs of Haut-Doubs.
