Best Aquitain Natural Rind Cheese Types
Ossau-Iraty is an uncooked, pressed, semi-hard cheese made from sheep's milk from the Pyrenees mountain range. Small cheeses of this sort must mature for 60 days, while the standard-sized Ossau-Iraty matures for at least 90 days. Underneath its moldy, iron-gray rind hides an ivory-colored body that is somewhat granular and creamy in its texture and melts very easily.
The flavors are rich and robust - reminiscent of nuts and toasted wheat, sweet and slightly grassy. Ossau-Iraty is so unique that it has a status of one of the first cheeses that were ever produced and is commended as one of the cheeses easiest to pair.
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THE BEST Ossau-Iraty Cheeses
Etorki is a French cheese originating from the Mauléon-Licharre commune in the Pyrénées. This hard cheese is made with pasteurized sheep's milk. It has smooth, creamy, and supple texture, earthy aroma, and a mild, sweet flavor that is reminiscent of burnt caramel.
Etorki is pulp-pressed and uncooked, then left to mature for 3 to 6 months. It is recommended to serve it with fruit and bread, or use it in sandwiches. For the most authentic experience, pair it with Txacoli, a slightly sparkling white wine from Basque.
Petit Basque is a French semi-hard cheese produced in Basque in the Pyreneés Mountains. The cheese was originally hand-made by shepherds from leftover curds from milking the sheep, and it's made from sheep's milk nowadays as well.
The natural rind hides a dry, smooth, and creamy texture. After 70 days of aging, the cheese develops a basket-weave pattern. The aromas are fresh and milky, while the flavors are mild, earthy, subtle, fruity, and sweet with a nutty finish. It's recommended to pair it with fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, or cured meat.
Laruns is a French cheese hailing from the region of Laruns. The cheese is primarily made from raw sheep's milk and it's sometimes left to age for up to 6 months before consumption. It can also be made from goat's and cow's milk. Underneath its natural rind, the texture is hard, brittle, and firm.
The aromas are mild, while the flavors are mild, nutty, sweet, acidic, and salty when young, becoming more intense with age. It's recommended to serve young Laruns as a table cheese, while the aged one is good for cooking.
Abbaye de Belloc is a traditional semi-hard cheese produced by Benedictine monks in the Western Pyrénées. The cheese is made from the sheep's milk of a local red-nosed breed of ewes. Its texture is firm, dense, creamy, and rich.
The flavors are sweet, mild, and similar to burnt caramel, and there is a distinctive aroma of lanolin. The natural crusty, greyish-brown rind is inedible. Abbaye de Belloc matures from 4 to 10 months, but it's believed that the cheese is best around 6 months of aging.
Petit Pardou is a French cheese hailing from the Laruns area. The cheese is made from cow's milk. Underneath its natural rind, the texture is semi-hard. The aromas are intense, while the flavors are pleasant and rustic. It's recommended to pair Petit Pardou with a glass of bold red wine.
Margotin is a traditional cheese hailing from Perigord. The cheese is made from a combination of raw goat's and cow's milk. The texture is soft, yet firm underneath its natural rind, while the color is pale yellow. Margotin comes in a few versions where it's enriched with pepper or herbs, so the aromas can be herbal and pepper, and the flavor delicate yet spicy.
The most popular version is called Margotin au poivre, which is enriched with pepper.
Esquirrou is a hard French cheese made from sheep's milk, produced in Pyrénées-Atlantiques and in the cities of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It is a smaller version of Ossau-Iraty cheese. The texture of Esquirrou is slightly elastic, while the flavors are nutty, fruity, herbaceous if the produce is from winter, while the summer versions reveal aromas of flowers and grass.
The name of the cheese means bell, referring to the sheep's accessories. It is produced at Mauleon Fromagerie by Michel Touyarou. Esquirrou won the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest held at Madison, Wisconsin, where it had bested 3,402 other cheeses.
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