Préféré De Nos Montagnes - Reblochon. Jura, France.

The proverbial forbidden fruit. You cannot purchase “normal”  Reblochon in the USA, due to an FDA rule that prohibits imports of unpasteurized cheese aged less than 6 months. So I moved to find the next best thing. A pasteurized version. I know it sucks, but if you love this cheese as much as I do it will have to do. You can melt your Reblochon onto grated potatoes, grilled meats, grilled sandwiches, or eat its creamy milky goodness, with notes of green straw, hazelnut, and wild mushrooms right from your cheese board on a piece of rustic bread and wash it with your favorite brebage. It pairs well with wine, beer, vermouth, brandy, and yes, tequila!  As unbelievable as it might seem, I, like many French, eat it with a croissant, paired with a strong shot of espresso coffee.

Originally from the  Thônes and Arly valleys, in Savoy, France, our version Préféré De Nos Montagnes, comes from the Jura mountains. The origins of Reblochon date back to the 13th century, in the Alpine pastures of the Thônes valley, where it all started through acts of secret pilfering! At the time, landowners – often monks or nobles – exercised a “Droit d’ociège” right over farmers who farmed the mountain pastures. This usage fee was collected once a year and was based on the number of pots of milk produced by the herd in a day. The quantity of butter and cheese that could be produced from it was deducted from it.

 landowners would tax mountain farmers according to the amount of milk their herds produced. The farmers would therefore not fully milk the cows until after the landowner had measured the yield. The milk that remains is much richer and was traditionally used by the dairymaids to make their own cheese. Reblochon, therefore, owes its name to this minor deceit, locally called “la Rebloche” in a patois dialect, with “Re-blocher” in French meaning to pinch the cow’s udder a second time.

Approximately 16oz. Weight may vary.