A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese of the Pays d'Auge in Normandy, distinguished by the five strands of sedge reed wrapped around it — the source of its nickname, the Colonel, after military stripes. One of Normandy's oldest cheeses; AOC granted in 1975.
Livarot is a soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Pays d'Auge in Normandy, named for the town of Livarot. Wikipedia documents it as one of Normandy's oldest cheeses and records its AOC status as granted in 1975. The signature feature is the wrapping in five strands of sedge reed around the circumference. Historically this binding held the soft cheese together as it ripened into a near-liquid state; the sedge rings also evoke military stripes, which is the origin of the cheese's nickname, the Colonel.
A Livarot arrives bound in its five sedge bands, the rind sticky and orange-brown, the paste beneath soft and yielding — when fully ripe, nearly liquid. The aroma is powerful and pungent; the flavor is beefy, salty, and intense.
Livarot's character rests on the washed rind and the sedge binding. During affinage the rind is washed with brine, historically enriched with eau-de-vie, which selects for Brevibacterium linens. The bacteria ripen the paste from the outside in; a fully ripe Livarot becomes nearly liquid, which is why the five strands of sedge matter: they hold the cheese together as it loses structural integrity.
Variations
Made in four traditional sizes; the sedge binding and the washed-rind technique are the constants.
On the Palate
Where Livarot sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10How it's made
6 steps · 45 min
- 125 min
Warm cow's milk and add starter and rennet; let the curd set.
- 225 min
Ladle the curd into cylindrical molds and drain.
- 320 min
Demold, salt, and wrap each wheel with five strands of sedge reed around the circumference.
Watch outWrap five strands of sedge firmly around each wheel — as a ripe Livarot goes nearly liquid inside, those bands are all that hold it together.
- 440 min
Wash the rind repeatedly with brine during affinage.
Watch outWash the rind with brine repeatedly through the aging — steady washing builds the sticky orange-brown rind and ripens the paste from the outside in.
- 530 min
Age for several weeks, until the rind is sticky orange-brown and the paste is very soft.
- 65 min
Release at the desired ripeness, still bound in its sedge bands.
