Comté
The Franche-Comté cheese
Our Comté-What Is It Like?
Comté has a dusty brown color on the outside, while the pate on the inside is a pale creamy yellow color. It's a fairly hard, yet pliable cheese, which a slightly sweet, nutty, mild flavor.
The History of Comté
Comté literally translated means "county." This cheese was manufactured as early as the 12th century, when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts on the Jura massif (a range located north of the Alps). The distance from towns of any size meant that any cheese they made would need to mature over a period of months. The milk was pooled between neighboring shepherds, and the huge cheeses would be stored until being carried to market at the end of the season.
That tradition of creating these huge wheels has remained in today's production. In order to make one wheel of comté, approximately 150 gallons of milk are required-the daily production of 30 cows! We import two different comté cheeses, one aged a minimum of 12 months and another, extra aged, that is over 18 months old. Both offer classic nutty sweetness, the extra aged is simply more dense and intense. Taste these blind, side by side, and see if you can determine which one is which, and which one you prefer.
Our Comté-What Is It Like?
Comté has a dusty brown color on the outside, while the pate on the inside is a pale creamy yellow color. It's a fairly hard, yet pliable cheese, which a slightly sweet, nutty, mild flavor.
The History of Comté
Comté literally translated means "county." This cheese was manufactured as early as the 12th century, when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts on the Jura massif (a range located north of the Alps). The distance from towns of any size meant that any cheese they made would need to mature over a period of months. The milk was pooled between neighboring shepherds, and the huge cheeses would be stored until being carried to market at the end of the season.
That tradition of creating these huge wheels has remained in today's production. In order to make one wheel of comté, approximately 150 gallons of milk are required-the daily production of 30 cows! We import two different comté cheeses, one aged a minimum of 12 months and another, extra aged, that is over 18 months old. Both offer classic nutty sweetness, the extra aged is simply more dense and intense. Taste these blind, side by side, and see if you can determine which one is which, and which one you prefer.