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Maroilles (cheese)
Encyclopedia
Maroilles is a cow's-milk cheese
made in the regions of Picardy
and Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France
. It derives its name from the village of Maroilles
in the region in which it is still manufactured.
The cheese is sold in individual rectangular blocks with a moist orange-red washed rind and a strong smell. In its mass-produced form it is around 13 cm square and 6 cm in height, weighing around 700 g. In addition, according to its AOC
regulations, cheeses eligible for AOC status can be one of three other sizes:
, Louis IX
, Charles VI
and Francis I
.
develops. The cheese is then brushed and washed and cellared for at least five weeks, though periods of up to four months are not uncommon. During this time it is turned and brushed at regular intervals to remove the natural white mould to allow its red bacteria to change the rind from yellow to red.
The finished cheese is a minimum of 45% fat, and is made in both pasteurized
and unpasteurized forms. AOC
status was granted in 1976 with AOP status following in 1996.
In 2005 2,126 tonnes were made, of which around 6% came from the 10 fermier producers, with the remainder being made by the three industriel producers.
(made in Laon
), Boulette d'Avesnes (Avesnes-sur-Helpe
), Boulette de Cambrai (Cambrai
), Cœur d'Arras (Arras
), Cœur d'Avesnes (Avesnes), Dauphin (Nord), Gris de Lille (Pas-de-Calais), Guerbigny
(Picardy
), and Rollot
(Somme
).
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
made in the regions of Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
and Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It derives its name from the village of Maroilles
Maroilles, Nord
Maroilles is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
in the region in which it is still manufactured.
The cheese is sold in individual rectangular blocks with a moist orange-red washed rind and a strong smell. In its mass-produced form it is around 13 cm square and 6 cm in height, weighing around 700 g. In addition, according to its AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
regulations, cheeses eligible for AOC status can be one of three other sizes:
- Sorbais - (3/4) 12-12.5 cm square, 4 cm high, 550 g in weight. ripeningCheese ripeningCheese ripening or alternatively cheese maturation is a process in cheesemaking. It is responsible for the distinct flavour of cheese, and through the modification of "ripening agents", determines the features that define many different varieties of cheeses, such as taste, texture, and body...
: at least 4 weeks. - Mignon - (1/2) 11-11.5 cm square, 3 cm high, 350 g in weight. ripening: at least 3 weeks.
- Quart - (1/4) 8-8.5 cm square, 3 cm high, 180 g in weight. ripening: at least 2 weeks.
History
Maroilles is often reported to have first been made in 962 by a monk in the Abbey of Maroilles. The cheese rapidly became famous throughout the region and was a favourite of several French kings including Philip IIPhilip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
, Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, Charles VI
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
and Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
.
Manufacture
The curd is shaped and salted before being removed from its mould and placed in a ventilated drying area for around ten days during which time a gentle light coating of bacteriaBacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
develops. The cheese is then brushed and washed and cellared for at least five weeks, though periods of up to four months are not uncommon. During this time it is turned and brushed at regular intervals to remove the natural white mould to allow its red bacteria to change the rind from yellow to red.
The finished cheese is a minimum of 45% fat, and is made in both pasteurized
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
and unpasteurized forms. AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
status was granted in 1976 with AOP status following in 1996.
In 2005 2,126 tonnes were made, of which around 6% came from the 10 fermier producers, with the remainder being made by the three industriel producers.
Similar cheeses
A number of less-common cheeses are made in northern France using very similar methods and are often listed in the "Maroilles family". These include Baguette LaonnaiseBaguette laonnaise
Baguette laonnaise is a type of washed-rind cheese made from cow's milk. It originates from Laon, Picardie, France, and it has a 45% fat content. The cheese is typically loaf-shaped and has a supple interior as well as a sticky orange-brown rind....
(made in Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
), Boulette d'Avesnes (Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Avesnes-sur-Helpe is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department Nord-Pas Calais. Avesnes-sur-Helpe is known as "the little Switzerland of the north." This region is filled with spacious country parks areas and leisure facilities, including Val...
), Boulette de Cambrai (Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
), Cœur d'Arras (Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
), Cœur d'Avesnes (Avesnes), Dauphin (Nord), Gris de Lille (Pas-de-Calais), Guerbigny
Guerbigny
Guerbigny is a commune in the Somme département in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Guerbigny is situated on the D329 road by the banks of the river Avre, some southeast of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
(Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
), and Rollot
Rollot
Rollot is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Rollot is situated southeast of Amiens, on the D935 road...
(Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
).