Cookbook:Reblochon Cheese

Reblochon is a French cheese from Savoie. Reblochon is produced in the valleys of Thônes and Val d'Arly. Reblochon is made from cow's milk. The cheese is a soft paste with a washed crust. Its crust is yellow saffron, covered with fine white foam, which shows it has been matured in a fresh cellar. It is best consumed between May and September after a maturation of between six and eight weeks. It is also excellent from March to December. Reblochon has a hazelnut taste. It is a vital ingredient of tartiflette, a Savoyard gratin with potatoes, cream and pork.

Reblochon cheese was first made in the XIIIth Century, in Savoie, in the Thônes valley. In that time, farmers rented meadows (alpages) from a landowner, and gave a portion of the milk produced as rent. When the rent payment was to be determined, the farmers milked the cows incompletely in order to reduce the apparent production, and thus their rent. Once the landowner had gone, the farmers would then conduct a second milking, which yielded a milk rich in fat. This milk was then preserved by turning it into cheese. The name Reblochon comes from patois, reblocher, which means to milk again.