Some cheese They are more than a food: they are reserved for unique moments, in well prepared tables and with special company. Are small works of art that are not chosen at random, but carefully, looking for the Perfect flavor For that concrete occasion. But among all of them, there is one that challenges the norms and that leaves no one indifferent: the Époisses de Bourgogne.
Long before your intense aroma will fill restaurants and wineries, this cheese had a modest origin in the Cistercian monasteries of the Burgundy of the 16th century. They were the monks Those who elaborated this specialty with traditional methods, transmitting the secret of their maturation to local farms.
The recipe went from generation to generation, perfecting until reaching the table of Louis XIVwhere it reached great prestige. His popularity grew so much that, already in the nineteenth century, the famous gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin He praised him without reservations, giving him a title that would mark him forever: THE KING OF THE QUESOS.
But even kings can fall into oblivion. The arrival of the industrialization And the changes in milk production led to the ópoisses toThe edge of the disappearance After World War II. By 1956, only a few remembered their flavor. It was then when Robert and Simone Berthaut They decided to recover it, starting to elaborate it in their house’s winery with the traditional methods of their region. That decision not only returned life to an almost extinct cheese, but also led him to obtain the Denomination of Protected Originensuring that their quality and tradition will last over time.
An aroma that feeds its gastronomic legend
What makes ópoisses unique is not only its history, but its character. With one creamy texture that melts in the mouth and a Complex flavor with sotobosque notesthis cheese demands respect and courage who proves it. Is refined with washes Marc de Bourgognea local brandy, which contributes to its unmistakable smell.
Because yes, its aroma is part of your legend: so powerful that, according to a story that has circulated for years, it was Forbidden to take it in French public transport. No one knows with certainty if that norm really existed or if it is only a popular myth that has been accepted over the years without anyone discussing it, but what is clear is that its presence does not go unnoticed.
The elaboration process remains artisanal and get strictly stand out. Only the use of milk from concrete raceslike the Bruna, the Montbéliarde and the Simmental French Its color, which goes from the ivory orange to the brick red, is not due to artificial dyes, but to the natural bacteria that develop in its washed cortex. Once ready, it is marketed in wooden boxesdesigned to preserve their maturation and facilitate their transport, although experts know that the best way to enjoy it is at its optimal point, between May and November.
At present, ópoisses is still a cheese for brave. It is not a discreet option or goes unnoticed, but for those who dare to try it, the reward is a gastronomic experience without comparison. After centuries of history, it continues to occupy a privileged place at the most select tables, demonstrating that its fame, far from fading, is still more alive than ever.
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