Popular Mont d’Or cheese 'season' begins in France and runs until May 2025
The cheese is a staple of autumn and winter tables
There are only a handful of manufacturers in France that are authorised to product the cheese
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France’s fromageries and supermarket cheese shelves now have a new addition, as the season of Mont d’Or cheese has begun.
The season for the cheese runs annually between September 10 and May 10, and it is one of the most popular autumn/winter dishes in France, alongside raclette and tartiflette.
Roughly 5,400 tons of the cheese is produced annually.
“Weather conditions are good for farmers and animals [this year]. The market outlook is comparable to most other years,” said Eric Fevrier, President of the Mont d'Or cheese makers union.
Last year saw a strong showing for the cheese after a poor 2022, where production was severely affected by the droughts that year.
What is Mont d’Or?
Mont d’Or is an extremely soft, creamy cow’s cheese produced in the Doubs department (it is sometimes called vacherin du Haut-Doubs).
A similar version produced in Switzerland is called Vacherin Mont-d'Or.
It is unpasteurised and uncooked, with its temperature never exceeding 40C (until taking it home – see below).
The French version benefits from an AOP label, meaning it can only be produced by certain farmers.
There are only 11 factories where the cheese can be made, with farmers and producers having to follow a strict set of criteria to officially label their cheese as Mont d’Or.
Read more: What are IGP/AOC/AOP labels on French products?
Milk from only two breeds of cow – Montbéliarde and Simmental – is authorised for making the cheese, and the cows must graze following a specific diet.
Using certain chemicals in the food for the cows is forbidden, the amount of cereals that can be fed to the animals is strictly limited, and in summer (when cows graze on pasture), each one must have at least one hectare of space each to graze on.
“Several hundred years ago, milk producers couldn't pool their milk in winter. So they came up with the idea of strapping it down and letting it mature in the stable,” said Mr Fevrier to France3.
This method of strapping down the cheese continued, as it provided the cheese with a gooey and creamy texture unique amongst the hundreds of types of cheese produced in the country.
In the modern era, the cheese is made between August 15 and March 15 each year, and instead of being left for an entire winter, has a relatively quick turnaround.
Curds are squashed into cylindrical moulds, then strapped down with a piece of spruce wood and covered in spruce leaves.
The cheese is turned over daily and rubbed with saltwater for a 21-day maturation period, although some cheeses are matured for slightly longer, up to a maximum of 45 days.
The product is then unstrapped and packaged.
It is placed in an iconic wooden cylindrical box, where it finishes maturing, helping to give off the distinctive woody and mushroom aromas from the cheese.
How is the cheese eaten?
The wooden box the cheese is packaged in is not only used to develop the taste of the cheese, but to aid with cooking it.
Whilst you can eat the cheese as is – it has the distinction of being one of the only cheeses you can eat with a spoon – many people opt to cook it, to heighten its flavour and gooey texture.
A popular recipe requires you to remove the lid of the wooden box, then use a knife to cut some slits into the cheese’s rind, before drizzling in a white wine or liquor of choice.
Sprinkle pepper, salt, and herbs over the cheese, then wrap the box up in foil (some people wrap only the bottom half in foil, others the entire box, multiple times over, and some even put the lid back on).
If you do not wish to put alcohol in, you can cut slits into the cheese and place garlic cloves inside – or add both garlic and alcohol. The recipe can be adapted to your personal taste.
Place the cheese into a preheated oven (200C/ 400F), and cook for around 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese looks completely soft and the rind has begun to brown on top.
Serve with accompanying ‘dipping’ foods to your preference – french bread, charcuterie, potatoes, vegetables.
It is completely safe to put the wooden box inside, but make sure to place the Mont d’Or on a baking tray – if the cheese oozes over, it is much easier to clean melted cheese from a tray than the bottom of your oven.
Read more: Know your French cheeses and their seasons: which to eat in September?
