Munster, a monastic cheese with a distinct smell
While its strong odor may at first put off sensitive nostrils, its delicate taste delights many of us.
Called Munster in Alsace or Géromé in Lorraine, it makes the Vosges massif famous. In the Munster valley, this characterful cheese is still produced in an artisanal manner and has benefited from the Protected Designation of Origin by the European Union (PDO) since 1996.
What do we know about this “stinky” cheese ?Munster is a cheese made exclusively from cow's milk, with a soft paste and a washed rind of yellow or even red-orange color. It comes in a cylindrical form, 13 to 19 cm in diameter, 2.4 to 8 cm high, and its weight varies from 450 g to 1.5 kg. It gives off a very strong odor.
And yet... in the mouth it is less strong than it seems and is characterized by a mild taste.
There are 3 types of Munster: farmhouse Munster made from raw milk; dairy munster produced from pasteurized milk; and the small munster whose weight ranges from 125g to 150g.
After being heated, the milk is added with specific lactic ferments, then animal rennet. The curd-whey mixture is placed in round molds of different diameters from 7 to 19 cm depending on the desired format. After salting, the cheeses are sent first to the roasting rooms where they will be gradually dried, then to the maturing cellars which benefit from a very humid atmosphere and flora specific to each cellar.
Every 2 days, each cheese is washed, rubbed with lightly salted water and added ripening ferments then turned. Its characteristic ivory-orange to orange-red color appears little by little, thanks in particular to the development of red ferments and various yeasts. It is also during this period (at least 21 days) that the cheese acquires its particular taste (woody notes, hay, mature fruit, etc.) and that its paste becomes creamy.
Finally, it is the know-how of the master cheesemaker combined with the flora of each maturing cellar that will make all the difference. The best time to consume Munster is from May to October.
A cheese with dual nationalityBorn in the Vosges massif, Munster is both Lorraine and Alsatian. It owes its name to a Benedictine abbey founded around 660, in honor of Saint-Grégoire, by monks who settled in what would become the Munster valley (from the word monasterium in Latin). The monks encourage the production of cheese to preserve milk and feed the population.
Little by little, the Munster valley became too narrow to feed the numerous herds, the Alsatian farmers took their cows to graze in Lorraine territory on pastures called “thatches”. The Duke of Lorrain, owner of these thatches, then imposed a rental tax payable in cheeses, the equivalent of a day of production in Gérardmer, whose pronunciation in Vosges patois is “Géromé”. Which explains why, for centuries, the same cheese will be called “Géromé” in Lorraine and “Munster” in Alsace.”
Today, the sector has more than a hundred farm producers, some of whom still practice transhumance, as well as more than a dozen specialized refiners.
Munster is very easy to accommodateTo recognize a good Munster, there is no need to rely on its strong smell. It is the homogeneity of its rind that takes precedence, and particularly its color which must change from orange-yellow to orange-red. Inside, its dough should be supple and creamy under the fingers.
Before it fills up your entire refrigerator, don't forget to wrap it in an airtight container that you place in the vegetable drawer. It should be taken out a little before the meal in order to optimize its tasting at room temperature. Strong in character, Munster can be enjoyed alone on a slice of country bread (with figs or honey for example) but great fans accompany it with cumin seeds for added flavor.
In Alsace, it is generally eaten hot on potatoes cooked in their skins with a salad. You can also make a real complete meal by using it in a tartiflette, a quiche or as a gratin.
As for Munster-wine pairings, we will of course give priority to local wines such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling or Pinot Gris. It also goes very well with an Alsace blonde beer or even with a Mirabelle plum brandy.
