Lavort looks like a cheese that has been made since the days of Charlemagne, but in fact it is a modern creation, devised by a 15-year-old dairy in Frances Auvergne region. The producer, the Fromagerie de Terre Dieu, specializes in raw-milk cheeses from sheep’s milk, specifically from the Lacaune breed. Thats the same breed that supplies milk for Roquefort.
On appearance alone, Lavort is thrilling. A tall cylinder weighing about 5 pounds, it has a rounded top with a large depression in the center, like a sinkhole.
It looks like it came out of a Victorian era jelly mold, says Andy Lax, who works for the importer, Fresca Italia. The rind is thick and crusty, with lots of white and furry gray molds and even some of the yellow mold that appears occasionally on Tomme de Savoie.
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