A taste of Alsatian cheese

The Munster cheese

This cheese is part of the Alsatian traditions. Made with the milk of the "Vosgiennes", it has a special taste when you can enjoy it, sitting at a table in the middle of the Vosges.

But let us tell you its history !
Back in the 7th century, some Benedictine Monks who lived in the abbey of Munster and in the area of Orbey, were the first to ever make the Munster cheese.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the cheese got the name of "géromé" refering to the city of Gérardmer. Later it got two names : the Munster for the cheeses who weighted less than 1 kilo and the "géromé" for the ones wheighing something like 3 to 4 kilos.

And today it's still the same: "Munster" and "Munster géromé".

 

How to make a Munster cheese !

The fresh milk is warmed til 32° C than curdled. Later it's cutted and placed in round moulds. In the past those were made of wood but now because of public health they are of plastic.
A part of these fresh white cheeses is used for the dessert named "Siess Kas" (white cheese, cream, sugar and kirsch). 24 hours later the cheeses are turned out and salted.
After a short stay in the dairy (2 days), it's time for the maturing, they are placed in the cheese cellar where they'll stay for at least 3 weeks. Every day they are washed with clear water.
The yellow-orange colour of the Munster cheese comes from the red ferments, brevibacterium linens, which are developping in the cellars.

Text inspired from the book "Le Munster" by Daniel WALTER

 

The Bargkass

A hard cheese made with not cooked milk.
It's a relatively huge cheese : 30 cm in diameter for a height of 6 cm ). It weighs something like 8 to 10 kg and needs at least 3 months to maturation.

That's it... Bon appétit !