- Vacherin (cheese)
-
"Vacherin" redirects here. Vacherin is also a French dessert: a meringue crust filled with crème Chantilly and fruit.
Vacherin 
Country of origin France, Switzerland Region, town Franche-Comté, Fribourg canton Source of milk Cows Pasteurised Traditionally, no Texture washed rind soft cheese Aging time 5-7 weeks Certification AOC France 1981;
Vacherin Fribourgeois: Swiss AOC
PDO France 1996;
AOC France 2003Vacherin is a cow's-milk (French vache, "cow") cheese. Two main types of French or Swiss Vacherin cheeses exist.
Contents
Mont d'Or
Swiss Vacherin Mont d'Or
One is a soft, rich, seasonal cheese made from cow's-milk in Switzerland or France, usually in villages of the Jura region (an origin that has been officially controlled since 1981), and has a grayish-yellow washed rind and is called Mont d'Or, or Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, from France,[1][2] or Vacherin Mont d'Or from Switzerland[2][3] (though it tends to just be called Vacherin in the local shops). It typically contains 45 to 50 percent milk fat (in dry matter), and is produced between August 15 and March 15, and sold between September 10 and May 10, and the Swiss Vacherin Mont d'or is generally made with pasteurised milk, while the French Vacherin du Haut-Doubs is unpasteurised.[3][4] It is marketed in round boxes of various diameters made of spruce.[5] It is often served warmed in its original packaging and eaten like a fondue.
Officially, the French AOC/PDO allows Artisanal and Coopérative production of Mont d'or.[1]
Vacherin Fribourgeois
The other Vacherin, a firmer cheese, is called Vacherin Fribourgeois. Originally from the Fribourg canton Switzerland, it is where Gruyère originates, is now produced under Swiss AOC in Valais.[2][6] It has a slightly acidic, resiny flavor, akin to Italian Fontina,[3][6] with a varying strength depending on the age and type. It is also a basic component lending character to fondues (depending on the recipe). Vacherin Fribourgeois has Swiss AOC status with 6 varieties being available:[7]
- Classic (aged: 6–12 weeks)
- Extra (aged: minimum 12 weeks)
- Rustic (aged: minimum 12 weeks, but up to 25 weeks (6 months))
- Alpage (aged: 12–25 weeks)
- Mountain (aged 9–25 weeks)
- Bio (Organic) (aged: minimum 9 weeks)
This cheese is made between September and April.
Vacherin d'alpage
Vacherin d'alpage is made from the milk of cows pasturing in alpine meadows and hence has a much richer taste. Vacherin d'alpage are usually made in a cauldron over a wooden fire in some remote chalet on an alpine meadow and they are not easy to find in the trade. The older the vacherin gets, the stronger the smell of ammonia due to microorganism activity in the cheese.
See also
References
- ^ a b 'French Cheeses' , DK, ISBN 1405306661
- ^ a b c 'Cheeses of the World' , Roland Barthelemy; Arnaud Sperat-Czar, (2001) ISBN 184430115X
- ^ a b c BBC Good Food - Vacherin Profile (Accessed 30/Oct/2010)
- ^ Practically Edible - Mont d'or Profile (accessed 30/Oct/2010)
- ^ Denis Bonnot, Le Vacherin Mont d'Or Franco-Suisse; un fromage qui sort du bois & du froid. Lons-le-Saunier (France), Areopage, 2006, p. 133
- ^ a b 'The Cheese Companion' , Judy Ridgeway, ISBN 1840923393 (2003)
- ^ Vacherin Fribourgeois - Website (French)/(German) (accessed 02/Jan/2007)
External links
- Vacherin fribourgeois in the online Culinary Heritage of Switzerland database.
- Vacherin Mont d'Or in the online Culinary Heritage of Switzerland database.
- Making Vacherin Fribourgeois in a Swiss Alpine chalet over wood fire - photoreportage in English
Swiss cheeses Cheeses of Switzerland • Appenzeller • Emmental • Gruyère • L'Etivaz • Raclette • Sbrinz • Schabziger • Tilsit • Tête de Moine • VacherinCategories:- French cheeses
- Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
- Swiss cheeses
- Cow's-milk cheeses
- Washed-rind cheeses
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
