Reblochon and the Alpine Cheese Tradition

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Reblochon (AOC 1958) is the signature cheese of the Haute-Savoie and one of France's most important mountain cheeses — a small (450g), flat, washed-rind disc made from raw cow's milk (Abondance, Tarine, or Montbéliarde breeds grazing between 500-2500m altitude) with a history rooted in medieval tax evasion. The name comes from 're-blocher' — to milk again: during the 14th century, farmers in the Aravis mountains were taxed based on the volume of milk produced at each milking. They would incompletely milk their cows during the tax inspector's visit, then return to 'remilk' (reblocher) after he left. This second, richer milk — higher in fat from the retained cream — was used to make Reblochon, a cheese of extraordinary creaminess. The production: raw milk is heated to 35°C, rennet-set for 30-40 minutes, the curd is cut, gently pressed into moulds lined with fine cloth, salted, and aged in cool cellars (12-16°C) for 3-5 weeks. The rind is washed with brine during affinage, developing its distinctive thin, orange-pink skin with a fine white bloom. At peak ripeness: the paste is uniformly supple and ivory-colored, with a rich, nutty, slightly fruity flavor and a pronounced mushroom-cream aroma. Reblochon fermier (farm-made, identified by a green casein disc on the rind) is made from a single herd's milk on the farm where the cows graze — it is more complex and seasonal than the laitier (creamery) version (red disc). In the kitchen: Reblochon is the essential cheese for tartiflette (already covered), but it is equally important on the cheese board — served at 18-20°C so the paste is flowing — and in croûte de Reblochon (a whole Reblochon baked in its box at 200°C for 20 minutes, the top rind scored, eaten with potatoes and charcuterie like a one-cheese raclette).

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