Port Salut () is a semi-soft

pasteurised In food processing, pasteurization (American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), also pasteurisation) is a process of food preservation in which packaged foods (e.g., milk and fruit juices) are treated wi ...

cow's milk

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 ...

from

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; but can also mean 'Lower Loire') is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, located on the country's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital an ...

, France, with a distinctive orange rind and a mild flavour. The cheese is produced in wheels approximately 23 cm (9 inches) in diameter, weighing approximately . Though Port Salut has a mild flavour, it sometimes has a strong smell because it is a mature cheese. The smell increases the longer the cheese is kept; this does not affect its flavour. It can be refrigerated and is best eaten within two weeks of opening. The cheese was developed by

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...

monks during the 19th century at Port-du-Salut Abbey in

Entrammes Entrammes () is a Communes of France, commune in the Mayenne Departments of France, department in north-western France. It is located about west of Parné-sur-Roc and about south of Laval Entrammes Airport in Laval, Mayenne, Laval. History E ...

. The monks, many of whom had left France during the French Revolution of 1789, learned cheese-making skills to support themselves abroad, and brought those skills back upon their return after the Bourbon Restoration. The name of their society, "Société Anonyme des Fermiers Réunis" ( S.A.F.R.), later became their registered trademark, and is still printed on the wheels of Port Salut cheese. In 1873, the head of the abbey came to an agreement with a Parisian cheese-seller granting exclusive rights of distribution, and purchases of the cheese soon began to increase. The abbey sought trade protection, and eventually, sold the rights to the Bel Group in 1950. The cheese is now produced in a factory, with the characteristic smooth rind now the result of a plastic-coated wrapper. When made of wax the rind may be edible, but can detract from the flavour of the cheese. Handmade Port Salut cheese or "Entrammes" cheese is still produced by various monasteries throughout the French countryside.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Salut (Cheese) Cow's-milk cheeses French cheeses Trappist cheeses

See also

References