Comté (French pronunciation:[kɔ̃.te]) is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine. Comté has the highest production of all French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) cheeses, at around 66,500 tons annually.[1] It is classified as an Alpine cheese.
The cheese is made in discs, each between 40 cm (16 in) and 70 cm (28 in) in diameter, and around 10 cm (4 in) in height. Each disc weighs up to 50 kg (110 lb) with an FDM around 45%. The rind is usually a dusty-brown colour, and the internal paste, pâte, is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is mild and slightly sweet.
Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into large copper vats where it is gently warmed. Each cheese requires up to 600 litres (160 US gal) of milk. Rennet is added, causing the milk to coagulate. The curds are then cut into tiny white grains that are the size of rice or wheat which are then stirred before being heated again for around 30 minutes. The contents are then placed into moulds and the whey is pressed out. After several hours the mould is opened and left to mature in cellars, first for a few weeks at the dairy, and then over several months elsewhere.
The manufacture of Comté has been controlled by AOC regulations since it became one of the first cheeses to receive AOC recognition in 1958, with full regulations introduced in 1976. The AOC regulations for Comté prescribe:[2]
Wheels of comté cheese in storage, Burgundy, France
There must be no more than 1.3 cows per hectare of pasture.
Fertilization of pasture is limited, and cows may only be fed fresh, natural feed, with no silage.
The milk must be transported to the site of production immediately after milking.
Renneting must be carried out within a stipulated time after milking, according to the storage temperature of the milk.
The milk must be used raw. Only one heating of the milk may occur, and that must be during renneting. The milk may be heated up to 56C / 133F.[3]
Salt may only be applied directly to the surface of the cheese.
A casein label containing the date of production must be attached to the side of the cheese, and maturing must continue for at least four months.
No grated cheese could be sold under the Comté name between 1979 and 2007.[4]
In 2005 the French Government registered 175 producers and 188 affineurs (agers) in France.[5]
Gradingedit
Each cheese is awarded a score out of 20 by inspectors, according to 'overall appearance' (up 1 point), 'quality of rind' (1.5), 'internal appearance' (3.5), 'texture' (5), and taste (9). Those scoring >14[6] points, called Comté Extra, are given a green casein label with the recognizable logo of a green bell. Those cheeses scoring 12-14 points are given a brown label and are simply called Comté. Any cheese scoring 1-2 points (out of a possible 9) for taste, or <12 overall is prohibited from being named Comté and is sold for other purposes.
Jury terroiredit
Area in eastern France, centered on Franche-Comté, covered by the AOC designation
Comté is well known for its distinct terroir: it is made in 160 village-based fruitières (cheese-making facilities) in the region, owned by farmers who bring their own milk from their cows; strict production rules linking place and product; and the seasonal environmental effects. Comté cheeses go through the process of "jury terroir", where panels of trained volunteer tasters from Comté supply chain and from the region discuss and publish bi-monthly in the newsletter Les Nouvelles de Comté about the taste and their results. This jury terroir was created by Florence Bérodier, a food scientist, to elaborate in response to a set of formidable challenges that Comté cheese underwent in the beginning for its unfamiliar taste and smell. "The jury terroir is there to speak of all the richness in the tastes of a Comté…" – the original member confirmed. For Comté cheese to be world-renowned, the quality improved, but the challenge stand still to create a uniform taste, which was impossible to achieve since there were 160 different fruitières specializing. But through the process of jury terroir, people came to focus on communication among the tasters, which improved their ability to perceive and gained in value. They acquired a general culture that enabled them to describe and exchange the taste of Comtés.[7]
^"In the Cellar (Aging Comté)". Comte USA. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
^Shields-Argelés, Christy (2016). "The Comté Aroma Wheel: History of an Invention, Ethnography of a Practice, A Look at the Early Years". Food & Communication. pp. 363–72.
External linksedit
Media related to Comté (cheese) at Wikimedia Commons
December 15, 2023
comté, cheese, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2015,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Comte cheese news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Comte French pronunciation kɔ te is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow s milk in the Franche Comte region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine Comte has the highest production of all French Appellation d origine controlee AOC cheeses at around 66 500 tons annually 1 It is classified as an Alpine cheese ComteCountry of originFranceRegionFranche ComteSource of milkCowsPasteurisedNoTexturesemi hardAging time4 36 monthsCertificationFrench AOC 1958Related media on CommonsThe cheese is made in discs each between 40 cm 16 in and 70 cm 28 in in diameter and around 10 cm 4 in in height Each disc weighs up to 50 kg 110 lb with an FDM around 45 The rind is usually a dusty brown colour and the internal paste pate is a pale creamy yellow The texture is relatively hard and flexible and the taste is mild and slightly sweet Contents 1 Production 2 Grading 3 Jury terroir 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksProduction editFresh from the farm milk is poured into large copper vats where it is gently warmed Each cheese requires up to 600 litres 160 US gal of milk Rennet is added causing the milk to coagulate The curds are then cut into tiny white grains that are the size of rice or wheat which are then stirred before being heated again for around 30 minutes The contents are then placed into moulds and the whey is pressed out After several hours the mould is opened and left to mature in cellars first for a few weeks at the dairy and then over several months elsewhere The manufacture of Comte has been controlled by AOC regulations since it became one of the first cheeses to receive AOC recognition in 1958 with full regulations introduced in 1976 The AOC regulations for Comte prescribe 2 nbsp Wheels of comte cheese in storage Burgundy FranceOnly milk from Montbeliarde or French Simmental cows or cross breeds of the two is permitted There must be no more than 1 3 cows per hectare of pasture Fertilization of pasture is limited and cows may only be fed fresh natural feed with no silage The milk must be transported to the site of production immediately after milking Renneting must be carried out within a stipulated time after milking according to the storage temperature of the milk The milk must be used raw Only one heating of the milk may occur and that must be during renneting The milk may be heated up to 56C 133F 3 Salt may only be applied directly to the surface of the cheese A casein label containing the date of production must be attached to the side of the cheese and maturing must continue for at least four months No grated cheese could be sold under the Comte name between 1979 and 2007 4 In 2005 the French Government registered 175 producers and 188 affineurs agers in France 5 Grading editEach cheese is awarded a score out of 20 by inspectors according to overall appearance up 1 point quality of rind 1 5 internal appearance 3 5 texture 5 and taste 9 Those scoring gt 14 6 points called Comte Extra are given a green casein label with the recognizable logo of a green bell Those cheeses scoring 12 14 points are given a brown label and are simply called Comte Any cheese scoring 1 2 points out of a possible 9 for taste or lt 12 overall is prohibited from being named Comte and is sold for other purposes Jury terroir edit nbsp Area in eastern France centered on Franche Comte covered by the AOC designationComte is well known for its distinct terroir it is made in 160 village based fruitieres cheese making facilities in the region owned by farmers who bring their own milk from their cows strict production rules linking place and product and the seasonal environmental effects Comte cheeses go through the process of jury terroir where panels of trained volunteer tasters from Comte supply chain and from the region discuss and publish bi monthly in the newsletter Les Nouvelles de Comte about the taste and their results This jury terroir was created by Florence Berodier a food scientist to elaborate in response to a set of formidable challenges that Comte cheese underwent in the beginning for its unfamiliar taste and smell The jury terroir is there to speak of all the richness in the tastes of a Comte the original member confirmed For Comte cheese to be world renowned the quality improved but the challenge stand still to create a uniform taste which was impossible to achieve since there were 160 different fruitieres specializing But through the process of jury terroir people came to focus on communication among the tasters which improved their ability to perceive and gained in value They acquired a general culture that enabled them to describe and exchange the taste of Comtes 7 See also editList of cheesesReferences edit The Comte Market Le marche du Comte Retrieved August 18 2016 Decret de l AOC comte Retrieved May 14 2010 Making of Comte Official Youtube YouTube Retrieved February 8 2017 Retrospective les grandes dates du cigc Retrieved July 3 2017 Comte Inao gouv fr Retrieved 2013 09 13 In the Cellar Aging Comte Comte USA Retrieved 2019 12 28 Shields Argeles Christy 2016 The Comte Aroma Wheel History of an Invention Ethnography of a Practice A Look at the Early Years Food amp Communication pp 363 72 External links edit nbsp Media related to Comte cheese at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Comte cheese amp oldid 1188373640, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
