Morbier cheese

Morbier (French pronunciation: [mɔʁbje] ^ⓘ) is a semi-soft cows' milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté.^[3] It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle.^[3] It has a yellowish, sticky rind.^[2]

Morbier
Country of origin	France
Region, town	Franche-Comté, Morbier[1]
Source of milk	Cows[1]
Pasteurized	Depends on variety
Texture	Semi-soft
Fat content	45%
Certification	Protected Designation of Origin,[2] French AOC for both Morbier Jura and Morbier Doubs
Named after	Morbier
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Description

The aroma of Morbier cheese is mild, with a rich and creamy flavour.^[1][4] It has a semblance to Raclette cheese in consistency.^[5]

The Jura and Doubs versions both benefit from an appellation d'origine protégée (AOP), though other non-AOP Morbier exist on the market.^[6]

Preparation

Traditionally, the cheese consists of a layer of evening milk curd and a layer of morning milk curd.^[3] When making Comté, cheesemakers would end the day with leftover curd that was not enough for an entire cheese.^[3] Thus, they would press the remaining evening curd into a mold, and spread ash over it to protect it overnight.^[3] The following morning, the cheese would be topped with morning milk curd.^[3] The layer of ash is left in place in between the layers of milk.^[1]

Today, it is typically prepared in factories and larger dairy cooperatives from one batch of milk, with the traditional ash line replaced by edible commercial vegetable ash.^[1][3][7]

See also

• List of French cheeses
• List of cheeses
• Humboldt Fog, an American cheese with an ash line inspired by Morbier