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Comte Cheese
This most distinguished of Jura's cheeses is dotted with small holes and has a characteristic hazelnut flavor. The Comte cheese is made without any artificial ingredients, using traditional methods in the small cheese dairy factories called "fruitieres". To reach its best flavor, it is aged for 4 to 12 months in cool cellars. 500 liters of milk are needed to produce one round of Comte cheese with a weight of about 40 Kg.
Poligny has a museum dedicated to Comte cheese of which it is the capital, but nothing equals a visit to a "fruitiere" in operation.
Tip: It gives an exceptional taste to some dishes and is used in many different regional recipes such as "Fondue", gratins, salads... It is one of the rare cheeses that can be enjoyed with either red or white wines. |
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Bleu de Gex or Septmoncel
A blue cheese with a delicate parsley savor, produced in the Haut-Jura area, where exceptionnally varied flora give the milk of the montbeliarde cows a unique flavor. It is made by hand, using the same traditional method developed by the monks of St-Claude in the 13th century. The maturing process takes 3 weeks during which it acquires its distinctive ivory and pale blue color. It differs from other blue cheeses by its milder yet more savory taste.
Tip: It can be used in many recipes such as pie, gravy and the famous "Raclette Jurassienne". It goes well with the mild red or rose wines from Jura. |
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Morbier
This cheese was first made in 1875 in Morbier, a village of Haut-Jura. It is a rich and creamy cheese characterized by a horizontal charcoal color layer in the middle. Each round weights around 6 to 7 kg. The maturing process takes about 2 months.
Tip: It is best served at room temperature. Morbier cheese also melts beautifully as in the dish called "Morbiflette", where it is melted on top of potatoes. |
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Vacherin or Mont-d'Or
Seasonal cheese produced exclusively from September to April in an area delimited by the Doubs river source (village of Mouthe), the Swiss border and the Haut-Doubs area. The Mont d'Or is a creamy and voluptuous cheese. Its appearance is unique: it has a soft, wrinkled golden-orange rind and each wheel is wrapped with a flat strip of resinous, aromatic bark before it is packed in a lidded wooden box.
Tip: Usually it is served with a spoon but it is best appreciated when eaten like "Fondue": a glass of white wine is poured in a hole made in its center, the cheese is placed in an oven at low temperature and melts in its wooden box. It is served with potatoes and cold cuts. |
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Edel de Cleron
Relatively new cheese made in Cleron, village along the Loue Valley. Its oozy texture is identical to the authentic Vacherin taken as its model but is made from gently pasteurized cow's milk. It is available all year around, comes banded with the traditional strip of aromatic bark and sold in a wooden box.
Tip: Can be eaten in the same way as the Vacherin. |
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Cancoillote
Created 2,000 years ago, the cancoillote is the oldest and one of the most typical specialties of Franche-Comte, particularly of the Haute-Saone department. It has a pale creamy-yellow color, shiny and half liquidy texture.
Tip: Sold in a jar, it travels well and keeps well in the refrigerator. It can be served at room temperature spread on bread or warm, served with sausages and potatoes or eaten in the same way as "Fondue". |
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Raclette
Raclette has a semi-soft interior dotted with small holes and a rosy inedible rind. Eaten as a table cheese, Raclette has a smooth, creamy taste that is neither too salty nor sharp. This cheese is traditionally melted. The word Raclette means "scraper", and making the dish involves heating a chunk of cheese until the top softens enough to be scraped off and layered atop potatoes boiled in their skin, served with pickles and sliced meats.
Tip: A "Raclette Oven" can also be used. It is placed in the middle of the table. Each person melts slices of Raclette cheese in an individual small pan. Count 200 g per person and serve with a chilled white wine. |
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