Mimolette

The mimolette is a spherical French cheese / hard cheese made from cow's milk with at least 40 % fat in dry matter, which is also known under the name of Boule de Lille, which means " ball of Lille ". This name refers to the nearby city of Lille in the aging cellar, where about handball great, up and down slightly flattened cheese balls originally matured. The name comes from French mimou mimolette, however, which means semi- soft. Probably began in France in the 17th century with the production of this cheese after the Dutch Edam method after the minister Colbert imports of foreign goods banned. Today he is gekäst especially in the northern provinces of France ( Nord-Pas- de- Calais ), but it is also goods from the Netherlands on the market.

The mimolette aged between two months and two years and has a typical, depending on the age mild nutty to strong, spicy taste and an eye-catching, strong yellow- orange to orange- brown color, darker towards the rind. The color is produced by adding annatto (French rocou ), a plant pigment from the seeds of Orleanstrauches ( Bixa orellana L. ) in Dutch goods will also use carrot juice as a coloring agent. The bark is relatively smooth in young cheese, with advancing age, it is thicker and resembles a cratered moonscape. In the craters settle mites, which the cheese owes its pitted surface. The cheese is firm and slightly brittle. Young mimolette tastes relatively mild, when ripe, the cheese smells strong, almost " medical ". At this stage, it tastes strongly haselnussig and fruity- lemony. Among connoisseurs an age of 6-18 months is considered optimal.

As an alternative to milder cheeses mimolette fits very well on a cheese plate. It is often eaten with black bread and gherkins or also with classic French baguette. Because he is good to rub, he also finds in the warm kitchen versatile applications. As an accompanying drink suitable young, fruity white or red wine, but also a bitter beer.

In May 2013, the U.S. Customs authorities imposed an import ban on mimolette cheese on the grounds of the Food and Drug Administration that the cheese consists in whole or in part from a " sleazy, corrupt or rotten substance " and " not for human consumption " was. The judgment called in France produced indignation. The cheese producers pointed out that " no one falls ill due to the enjoyment of mimolette yet " and that a change in the production process would also lead to a change of taste.

The mimolette was the favorite cheese of Charles de Gaulle.