Morbier is a semi-hard French cheese with washed crust. The Morbier originates from the same name village of Morbier in the Jura.
The cheese is made from raw cow's milk (although pasteurized milk is also used today). The curd is cut, the whey removed and then the cheese is squeezed into the mold. After this, an ash layer is added. In the evening when the cows have eaten all day, milk is also milked and the curd of this milk comes on the ash layer. The evening milk milk is much stronger and tastes more like nuts. Then the cheese goes into the press and he matures for 2 to 3 months in a cold room. The cheese gets a red crust. Characteristic is the black vein that passes through the cheese. To taste this vein does not matter much.
The vein appears to be due to the farmers wanting to keep their curd until they had enough to make a whole cheese. In order to protect the curd against insects etc. they poured a layer of ash and salt. Above it was added the curd from a subsequent milk period.
In 1998, Morbier received the AOC certificate. This means that the cheese can also be made of milk from cows fed with hay, grass and herbs from the Jura.
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