Maroilles (; also known as Marolles, or simply known as Maroilles) is a cow's-milk

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges 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 productio ...

made in the regions of

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hist ...

and

Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It derives its name from the village of Maroilles in the region in which it is still manufactured. The cheese is sold in individual rectangular blocks with a moist orange-red

washed rind Washed-rind or smear-ripened cheeses are cheeses which are periodically treated with brine or mold-bearing agents. This encourages the growth of certain bacteria on their surface which give them distinctive flavors. There are hard and soft washed ...

and a strong smell. In its mass-produced form it is around square and in height, weighing around In addition, according to its

AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...

regulations, cheeses eligible for AOC status can be one of three other sizes: *Sorbais – (3/4) 12-12.5 cm square, 4 cm high, 550 g in weight. ''

ripening Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make th ...

'': at least 4 weeks. *Mignon – (1/2) 11-11.5 cm square, 3 cm high, 350 g in weight. ''ripening'': at least 3 weeks. *Quart – (1/4) 8-8.5 cm square, 3 cm high, 180 g in weight. ''ripening'': at least 2 weeks.

History

Maroilles is often reported to have first been made in 962 by a monk in the

Abbey of Maroilles Maroilles Abbey (french: Abbaye de Maroilles) was a Benedictine monastery in Maroilles in the department of Nord, France. It was founded around 650 and suppressed in the French Revolution. History The abbey was founded by Count Chonebert (or Ra ...

. The cheese rapidly became famous throughout the region and was a favourite of several French kings including Philip II,

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the House of Capet, Direct Capetians. He was Coronation of the French monarch, c ...

, Charles VI and

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

Manufacture

The curd is shaped and salted before being removed from its mould and placed in a ventilated drying area for around ten days during which time a gentle light coating of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

develops. The cheese is then brushed and washed and cellared for at least five weeks, though periods of up to four months are not uncommon. During this time, it is turned and brushed at regular intervals to remove the natural white mould to allow its red bacteria to change the rind from yellow to red. The finished cheese is a minimum of 45% fat, and is made in both

pasteurised Pasteurization American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mi ...

and unpasteurised forms.

status was granted in 1976 with AOP status following in 1996. In 2005, 2,126 tons were made, of which around 6% came from the 10 ''fermier'' producers, with the remainder being made by the three ''industriel'' producers.

Similar cheeses

A number of less-common cheeses are made in northern France using very similar methods and are often listed in the "Maroilles family". These include

Baguette Laonnaise Baguette laonnaise, losange, dauphin or baguette Thiérache, is a variation of Maroilles cheese, a type of washed-rind cheese made from cow's milk. It originates from the region of Thiérache as well as the city of Laon, Picardie, France. The che ...

(made in

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...

), Boulette d'Avesnes (

Avesnes-sur-Helpe Avesnes-sur-Helpe (; vls, Avenne aan de Helpe) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Nord department. It is situated 14 km from the Belgian border, and 18 km south of Maubeuge, the near ...

), Boulette de Cambrai (

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the ...

), Cœur d'Arras (

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of ...

), Cœur d'Avesnes (Avesnes), Dauphin (

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

), Gris de Lille (

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, "strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of ...

Guerbigny Guerbigny (; pcd, Guérbigny) is a commune in the Somme ''département'' in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Guerbigny is situated on the D329 road by the banks of the river Avre, some southeast of Amiens. Population See also ...

(

), and Rollot (

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

In popular culture

The very successfulBienvenue chez les Ch'tis : Box-Office
Retrieved 30 July 2008. 2008 French film ''

Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis ''Welcome to the Sticks'' (french: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, ) is a 2008 French comedy film directed and co-written by Dany Boon and starring Kad Merad and Boon himself. The film was the highest-grossing French film of all time at the box offic ...

'' jokes about the strong smell of Maroilles cheese.

References

External links

{{French cheeses French cheeses French products with protected designation of origin Cow's-milk cheeses Picardy cuisine Washed-rind cheeses