A Regional Cheese
"Our basic cheeses are made from cow's milk. Good cheese is made at the start of spring or at the start of autumn. The best and freshest milk, which can be skimmed or not, is used to make the cheese."
Denis Diderot
The illustrations dedicated to cheese-making use the cheeses of Auvergne, Gruieres and Gérardmer as their models. This example shows the inside of a dairy belonging to one of the royal houses, which is a lot more ornate than an ordinary dairy. On it, you can see a woman beating the butter in a churn, a cage for draining the cheeses, the different pieces that make up a churn, a cheese grate, etc.
Known since the 18th Century, cheese made in Langres bears the mark of "Appellation d'Origine Protégée" (a protected designation of origin). This official symbol of quality guarantees that this produce is the fruit of an ancestral knowledge, specific to a defined region. The cheese of Langres is characterised by its orangey-yellow rind, encasing a light yellow, soft interior, with a moderate taste that intensifies with age. Never turned over during the ripening process, it develops a typical dip in the top called a "fontaine".
In 2012, 20 livestock farms produced milk destined for making Langres AOP cheese, which was then in turn produced by 3 cheese-makers. This year, production has increased to 465 tonnes, around 100 of which is for export.
The "Confrérie des Tastes-Fromages de Langres" (a Langres brotherhood of cheese tasters) and the Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Fromage de Langres (a Langres general cheese union) charge themselves with protecting and promoting this cheese, which can truly be considered the town's "culinary ambassador".
