Livarot () is a
French cheese of the
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
region,
originating in the commune of
Livarot, and protected by an ''
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...
'' (AOC)
since 1975.
It is a soft, pungent,
washed rind cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
made from
Normande cow's
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
. The normal weight for a round of Livarot is 450 grams, though it also comes in other weights. It is sold in cylindrical form with the orangish rind wrapped in three to five rings of dried reedmace (''
Typha latifolia''). For this reason, it has been referred to as "colonel", as the rings of dried bullrush resemble the stripes on a colonel's uniform. Sometimes green paper is also used. Its orange colour comes from different sources depending on the manufacturer, but is often
annatto. The bacterium ''
Brevibacterium linens'' is employed in fermentation. Production in 1998 was 1,101 tonnes, down 12.2% since 1996. Only 12% of Livarot are made from raw, unpasteurised milk. Its period of optimal tasting is spread out from May to September after a refining from six to eight weeks, but it is also excellent from March to December.
See also
*
References
External links
Livarot, the oldest cheese of Normandy
{{French cheeses
French cheeses
French products with protected designation of origin
Norman cuisine
Cow's-milk cheeses
Washed-rind cheeses