Chicagoist's Cheese Of The Month: Comté

Fall is coming: the air is ripe with the aroma of apples and it’s time to move on from the soft, summery fresh cheeses to something more complex. Let’s talk about a cheese with 83 distinct flavors including toasted bread, apricot and chocolate. Let’s talk about the most popular AOC* cheese in France. Let’s talk about Comté.

Comté is the French "brother from another mother" version of the Swiss Gruyère. This cheese is made from raw cow’s milk. The recipe is the same: the curds are cut into grains the size of rice, cooked and pressed. Traditionally made from the summer milk of the pasture-fed Montbeliarde or French Simmental breeds of cow, Comté is just right for the coming autumn.

In addition to maintaining its status as the most popular fromage in France, Comté also has the highest production. Jura, the Comté-producing department of Franche-Comté, is a tiny area in the middle of the eastern side of France that has produced Comté since the 12th century. Today, the region produces about 40,000 tons annually – and there is still a shortage due to high demand.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Chicagoist