Morbier cheese

Morbier is a semi-soft cheese of France made from cows' milk and named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté. Its ivory paste is soft and slightly elastic, and it is easy to recognize by a thin black layer that runs horizontally through the middle of the wheel, under a yellowish and sticky rind. The flavour is mild, rich and creamy, and the texture is close to that of Raclette. By tradition the cheese was built from two layers of curd: the leftover evening curd left over from making Comté was pressed into a mould and dusted with ash to protect it overnight, then covered the next morning with fresh morning curd, leaving the ash as the dividing line. Factories and dairy cooperatives now make it from a single batch of milk and use an edible commercial vegetable ash for the line. The versions made in the Jura and the Doubs each carry a protected designation of origin, although other Morbier that is not protected is also sold.