Cheese "Mimolet": types and taste

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Mimolet cheese is very famous not only in its homeland, in France, but throughout the rest of the world. It belongs to the category of hard cheeses. The product is made in the form of a ball, which has a gray uneven crust, and the mass inside it is bright orange. That is why the Flamant Mimolet cheese looks so much like a cantaloupe.

Many names

This product has four different names. The first, already mentioned here, "Flying", it comes from the French word mi-mou, which translates as "soft half". It is so called because the young cheese of this type has a semi-soft texture.

It is also called the "Lile Ball". Since it has a round shape, and its production has been established in the vicinity of the French town of Lille.

The next name is "Old Holland". This name indicates the similarity of production technologies with the Dutch "Edam". Commissiekaas is the name given to the cheese by the inhabitants of some regions of Belgium and the Netherlands.

General information

Mimolet includes cheese cow's milk. Its standard weight is from two to four kilograms. Thought to be perfect for a cheese platter, Mimolet is also good as an appetizer or grated ingredient for some dishes.

Historical background

Like any famous French cheese, Mimolet has its own unusual history. Its progenitor can be reasonably considered "Edam", not without reason the processes of their production are almost the same. “Mimolet” appeared thanks to the decree of the French king Louis XIV, who in 1600 banned the import of imported cheeses into the country in order to support his own producers. At that time, the most popular product in this country was "Edam", and its import was also restricted. Of course, consumers began to demand a worthy domestic replacement. Cheesemakers from Lille quite successfully coped with this task.

In order to distinguish their cheese from "Edam", they began to add natural annatto dye to their product. It is thanks to him that Mimolet cheese has a bright orange color and an unusual nutty taste.

But this is not the only difference between "Fleeting" and "Edam". Lille cheese makers have used mealy mites to enhance the cheese flavor. These babies gnaw holes in the rind, which keeps air in the cheese.

Interesting fact: the famous native of Lille, French President Charles de Gaulle prefers Mimolet among all cheeses.

This product is not as safe as it seems. Better notlean on him too zealously. Cheese mites can cause severe allergies.

Production process

Mimolet cheese contains cow's milk. An important feature of the technological process is the use of microscopic mites Acarus siro and nematode worms.

Before sending the cheese to the cellar, a population of ticks is planted on its crust. And the point is not only that microorganisms make "moves" not only in the crust, but throughout the cheese, the formation of the final taste occurs due to the waste products of the bugs. That's why Fleeting gets richer with age.

In order for the pliers not to stop in one place, the heads periodically have to be turned over. A photo of Mimolet cheese can be seen below.

Heads are aged from three months to two years. The readiness of products for consumption is checked by cheese experts by tapping the head with a wooden mallet.

Types of cheese

There are four varieties of this product, its taste is directly dependent on how long it has matured.

• Cheese that are aged from four months to six months are classified as young. It is very elastic and slightly oily. In the sweetish taste, nutty notes are felt in the first place, fruity in the second place.
• Semi-ripe cheese is called Mimolet, which has lain from six months to nine months. It is noticeably stronger than the previous one. And the aroma is dominated by fruity and spicy notes.

• Mature cheese Mimolet is the one that has been aged for about a year. Such a product is marked with a red label. It has a rather dark rind and a fragile body.
• Extra mature Mimolet is aged for a year and a half. It also has a red label. This is the most expensive kind. Its taste and bouquet is fully formed.

What do they use "Fleeting" with

The youngest type is most often used as a component of various dishes. These can be salads, sauces, canapes and sandwiches. But aged varieties form the basis of a cheese plate, which is served after a meal with light fruit wine or beer.

To get rid of mites, soak the product in Calvados.

Reviews

People say positive things like this:

• interesting, unusual color;
• short shelf life, which confirms naturalness;
• special flavor similar to Parmesan.

Among the negative reviews there are such marks:

• high cost;
• not sold in every store.

Interesting fact

In the spring of 2013, deliveries of Mimolet to America ceased, as it became a banned product. Nearly 700 kilograms of cheese was destroyed as it was declared "unfit for food" by the Department of Food Safety because insects from its rind could cause allergies. It is worth noting that there are a lot of Mimolet fans in this country, and in 2012 aabout 60 tons of this product.