Mimolette

Mimolette has sharp, nutty and fruity flavour with a similar aroma to compliment it. It has a striking colour of bright orange to its paste alongside its standout shape of a cannon ball. Mimolette is notoriously hard to cut through as a whole and gets even harder (but with even more complex taste profiles) the longer it matures. The unique looking rind of the Mimolette is produced from maturation in damp cellar like conditions and the presence of cheese mites which eat parts of the rind and leave the pitted surface. The rind is completely edible on the cheese and 100% should be eaten as it adds so much taste and complexity of flavour. A definite favourite of ours and on the cheese counter instore.

A semi-hard cow’s milk cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille. The history of Mimolette can be traced as far back as the 17th century with its original production based on an Edam. During the 17th Century many imported goods were banned in France under the rule of King Louis XIV, Edam fell among these banned imports and was sorely missed in the northern parts of France. As with any banned goods there was soon smuggling involved to get hold of the sought-after items, quickly followed by entrepreneurs of the time that decided to produce a similar product in France as a way to get around the ban. Mimolette was produced using the Edam recipe but had its own quirks added such as the annatto that provides the strong orange colouring, the maturation process and the different pastureland that the animals were grazing which changes the cheese flavours entirely based upon the flavours within the grassland that the cattle have been grazing.

There are different ages of Mimolette from six months through to vintage at twenty-four months, the Mimolette we most often have in stock is the twenty-four month aged.