Port Salut is a semi-soft

pasteurised Pasteurization or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life. The ...

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 production, ...

from

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" (). ...

, 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 ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

monks during the 19th century at

Port-du-Salut Abbey Port-du-Salut Abbey, also the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Port du Salut (french: Abbaye du Port-du-Salut, ''Abbaye Notre-Dame du Port-du-Salut'' or ''Abbaye du Port-Ringeard'') is a Trappist monastery located in Entrammes, Mayenne, France. The main m ...

Entrammes Entrammes () is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. It is located about west of Parné-sur-Roc and about south of Laval Entrammes Airport in Laval. History Entrammes owes its location to a major ford across the river ...

. The monks, many of whom had left France during the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

of 1789, learned cheese-making skills to support themselves abroad, and brought those skills back upon their return after the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

. 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 The Bel Group (a.k.a. Groupe Bel or Fromageries Bel in French) is a multinational cheese marketer centered in France. Overview The Bel Group is headquartered at 2 allée de Longchamp in Suresnes (near Paris). It manufactures and distributes pr ...

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