Pont-l'Évêque (, ) is a

French cheese This is a list of French cheeses documenting the varieties of cheeses, a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms, which are found in France. In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, "How can you gove ...

, originally manufactured in the area around the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Pont-l'Évêque, between

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...

and

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. It is probably the oldest Norman cheese still in production. Pont-l'Évêque is an uncooked, unpressed cow's-

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

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, ...

, square in shape usually at around square and around high, weighing . The central pâte is soft, creamy pale yellow in color with a smooth, fine texture and has a pungent aroma. This is surrounded by a washed rind that is white with a gentle orange-brown coloration. The whole is soft when pressed but lacks elasticity. It is generally ranked alongside

Brie Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mo ...

Camembert Camembert (, also , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit with ...

, and

Roquefort Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur ...

as one of the most popular cheeses in France.

History

The cheese has been made in

since at least the 12th century, and was allegedly first made by

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monks who had settled west of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,

Manufacture

Pont-l'Évêque was recognised as an

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

(AOC) cheese on August 30, 1972, reaching full status in 1976. Its production was defined and protected with a decree of December 29, 1986.

Le Petit Futé Petit Futé (founded 1976) is a series of French travel guides broadly equivalent to the Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History ...

guides commend that the best AOC Pont-l'évêque comes from the

Pays d'Auge The Pays d'Auge (, literally ''Land of Auge'') is an area in Normandy, straddling the ''départements'' of Calvados and Orne (plus a small part of the territory of Eure). The chief town is Lisieux. Geography Generally it consists of the basin of ...

, which includes the Canton of Pont-l'Evêque itself. The AOC regulations include the following restrictions: * The milk must come from a controlled area around the village of Pont-l'Évêque, extending to the départments of

Eure Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.Manche Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ill ...

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...

. * The curd must be successively divided, kneaded and then drained. * During ''

affinage Cheese ripening, alternatively cheese maturation or affinage, is a process in cheesemaking. It is responsible for the distinct flavour of cheese, and through the modification of "''ripening agents''", determines the features that define many di ...

'' the cheeses must be washed, brushed and turned. * The resulting cheese must be one of three sizes: ** ''Petit'' – 8.5–9.5 cm square, and a minimum of 85g of dry matter. ** ''Demi'' – 10.5–11.5 cm by 5.2–5.7 cm, with a minimum of 70g of dry matter. ** ''Grand'' – 19–21 cm square, with a minimum of 650g of dry matter. The affinage lasts at least two weeks after production, though most are left for over six weeks. The cheese is around 45% fat as a percentage of dry matter and is manufactured throughout the year. Regulations currently allow either

pasteurized 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 ...

or unpasteurized milk to be used for its manufacture. The annual production is around 3,500 tonnes, of which the majority is made by two large producers. Only 2% of the production is classed as '' fermier''. Acclaimed manufacturers include Bisson et fils, Lanquetôt, Lepeudry, and Levasseur. Recipes include use in three-cheese fondue together with livarot and

camembert Camembert (, also , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit with ...

, to accompany tournedos de veau.Le Petit Futé Rouen - Page 26 ed. Jean-Paul Labourdette, Dominique Auzias, Caroline Sainsard - 2010 "S'il n'y en avait qu'une à faire, ce serait le tournedos de veau poêlé et sa fondue aux trois fromages: livarot, pont-l'évêque et camembert. In-con-tour-na-ble. Et puis si vous terminez par les poires pochées à la crème de whisky, vous saurez ..."

References

External links

Official site

The Pont-L'Evêque Story

Isigny Sainte-Mére Co-operative Pont L'éveque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pont-l'Eveque cheese French cheeses French products with protected designation of origin Cow's-milk cheeses Norman cuisine Washed-rind cheeses

History

See also

References

External links