Epoisses, all of Burgundy united in one cheese!
We recognize it from afar... With its beautiful orange-brick color, its powerful nose and its unexpected softness, Epoisses cheese does not go unnoticed on our cheese platters.
Described as a “stinky cheese” by many, this characterful cheese, matured with Burgundy marc, almost disappeared in the 1950s. Refined with Marc de Bourgogne Epoisses takes the form of a medium-thick disc of 10cm in diameter, 4cm thick and weighs around 300g.
It is made with whole cow's milk from local breeds: Simmental Française, Brune and Montbéliarde, fed with fodder exclusively from the appellation area. As soon as it arrives at the cheese factory, the whole milk is brought up to temperature (25 to 30°C) in order to undergo slight maturation.
After renneting, the slow, lactic coagulation of the cheese lasts 16 to 24 hours. The curd is then placed in a mold, into which it drains naturally. Two days later, the cheese is unmolded, placed on racks and immediately salted with dry salt. Maturing in a cool, humid cellar then takes place for at least 4 weeks, during which the cheese is regularly washed by hand with water enriched with Burgundy marc.
This is where its originality comes from. Its living rind will then change from off-white to beige then to ivory and finally to this orange and brick red (depending on its degree of maturity) which makes it rich. This color is due exclusively to the pigmentation of surface bacteria, red ferments in particular, the use of dyes being prohibited.
He could have disappeared Epoisses owes its name to a small village on the Côte d'Or, where a community of religious people settled at the beginning of the 16th century. She will stay for two centuries in the monks' house and leave as a legacy to the peasant women of the valley the secret of making this cow's milk cheese. Gradually, the farmers will develop real know-how specific to this heritage cheese and perpetuate it. The dripping stones, the northeast-facing dryers, the cellars and maturing cellars omnipresent in the farms of Auxois bear witness to intense cheese-making activity in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Passing near Sombernon in 1826, the culinary author Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin gave Epoisses all its credentials by declaring it “king of cheeses”.
The number of manufacturing farms in Époisses is estimated at more than 300 around 1900. Cheese competitions on the occasion of agricultural shows are organized with great success in Burgundy. Abandoned following the two wars, the production of Epoisses resumed in 1956 thanks to a couple of passionate farmers who mobilized the know-how of people in the region.
Today, it shines well beyond the borders of the Côte-d'Or. Its production area also extends over part of Yonne and Haute-Marne.
At table ! Epoisses can be enjoyed en primeur from November to April or in peak season from May to October. To optimize its subtle taste with light notes of dried fruit, you should remember to take it out at room temperature half an hour before eating it. Its texture in the mouth is very creamy and smooth. If it is traditionally served on a platter, it can also be used in cooking, in a sauce for example to accompany a nice steak or in a pasta dish. For an aperitif, serve it gratinated on gingerbread toast accompanied by a dry white Burgundy wine from the Côte de Beaune or a wine from the Côteaux de l'Auxois.
