Mont d'Or, a traditional local cheese

en Pays Horloger

Mont d'Or, a must-have cheese on our end-of-meal platters, along with Comté and Morbier. It's also the main ingredient in one of our favorite meals, as proven by a recipe that will melt your heart! It's impossible to resist this creamy, melt-in-the-mouth cheese, which can be eaten hot or cold. Coming from a long tradition that reveals the lifestyles of our mountains, Mont d'Or is now protected by a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) that perpetuates its expertise.

Everything you need to know about Mont d'Or cheese / A brief history / Mont d'Or in figures / The recipe / Where to buy Mont d'Or cheese

Everything you need to know about Mont d'Or

Mont d'Or is a seasonal cheese named after the highest point in the Doubs region. It is also called "Vacherin du Haut Doubs" and is made until... Pays Horloger, according to a well-defined area. This name of vacherin is also used by our Swiss neighbors who make a relatively similar cheese.

Its production stems from a long tradition, perpetuated today thanks to a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Here are the main points that guarantee the protection of Mont d'Or cheese :

It is a mountain cheese, it must be made at an altitude of over 700 meters and according to a defined geographical area.
Spruce, an emblematic resinous tree of the region, plays a key role. For the style, with its characteristic box, but above all for the tasteThe “Mont d'Or” is aged on spruce boards, surrounded by a spruce strap and placed in a box, also made of spruce wood.
It is a winter cheese, Its production takes place from August 15 to March 15 and its marketing from September 10 to May 10.
Made in raw milk, made from French Montbéliarde or Simmental cows. The cheese is matured for 21 days.

Mont d'Or cheese pays horloger Jura Doubs

The short history of Mont d'Or

Like other iconic local products, such as sausage and Comté cheese, it's difficult to pinpoint the origins of Mont d'Or, so deeply is it intertwined with our history. Farmers valued the winter milk , produced in smaller quantities, to make small cheeses for family consumption, unlike Comté, which is made from the more abundant spring milk. The first records of a cheese encircled by a band date back to the 13th century , and later, Louis XV enjoyed it at his table! Mont d'Or obtained its AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) in 1981, followed by its AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) in 1996.

Mont d'Or, cheese in figures:

It is made in 10 cheese factories, whose Mamet cheese dairy (farm producer) in Fins en Pays Horloger
In all these are 400 dairy producers
5 tonnes of Mont d'Or are sold per year

To learn even more about Mont d'Or, click here!

Where to buy Mont d'Or:

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Recipes

Mont d'Or is a delight on the cheese board. To enjoy all its flavors, remember to take it out of the refrigerator 1 hour beforehand to allow it to cool.

But it can also be eaten hot.

Find several recipes using Mont d'Or cheese at this link.

Recipe: Hot Mont d'Or

Place the Mont d'Or lid under the box.
Make several incisions in the Mont d'Or, or hollow out the middle with a spoon to pour in a few cl of white wine (from the Jura).
Place the box in the oven preheated to 220°C and cook for approximately 25 minutes.

Don't forget to cook the potatoes for the side dish as well as one or two sausages. Morteau.

hot mont dor hot cheese meal recipe pays horloger

The favorite of...

This activity was tested by a passionate local. Here is what he had to say:

Mathilde

The best Mont d'Or Right

For a Hot Mont D'Or, you'll find it at GAEC Mamet aux Fins. It's a farm-made Mont d'Or. Baked with potatoes, it's a real delight!

Local bonus

When we ask the tourist service providers in the area, who are passionate about the region, what the welcome in Pays Horloger and who comes to talk about the character of the people here, this is what comes out!

We liked it so much that we made a postcard of it (and it's on sale in our offices).