Cheeses

In Alsace, the most acclaimed cheese is the Munster who smells very strong but it is so good..But have you heard about the Bargkaas or Bibeleskas ? Go on, you are still  here to trying to pronounce these Alsatian names while eating three mouthfuls….We’ll explain !

The Bargkaas, litterally mountain cheese is a hard cheese that is pressed and uncooked. It is  fairly low in salt. It has always been made in the mountain heights, in the farms or in the Alsatian inns. The surprising part about this cheese is that it isn’t rare to find in it a little taste of wild blueberries, whose shrubberies are scattered in the high mountains. And, this is where the milk cows  like to come to stuff themselves with fresh grass…

The Bibeleskas  is a derivative of  fresh curded  unsalted Munster cheese and has a traditional texture of the fromage blanc. In  this kind of sour cream, a little heavy cream, some garlic and some chives are  added and then seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper. This is accompanied by potatoes, cooked in and kept with their skins, and some cold meats. A real culinary delight !

Finally the Munster or Munster-Géromé, the most famous of all the Alsatian cheeses, has been produced since the 10th century using cow’s milk. The cheese has a soft texture and a washed rind. These rinds can have different colors that depend on their maturation. For example, if the rind is whitish, our farmers say that the cheese is young and thus soft and chalky. If it’s rind is more orangy, it means that the cheese is older and its odor will surprise you ! Very aromatic and subtle, this cheese with character and a taste of Caraway.

And from us to you, our sweet temptation is to put a slice of this cheese on fresh bread with a drop of Vosges Pine Tree Honey. Then put this for a few minutes in the oven. Accompany this with a glass of Gewurztraminer. Sweet, salty, melted, crusty…And for the most audacious, flambé an old Munster with some  « eau de vie » and some Caraway. Tell us what you think !