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 / The little story / Mont d'Or in figures / The recipe / Where to buy Mont d'Or

Everything you need to know about Mont d'Or

Mont d'Or is a seasonal cheese that takes its name from the highest point in the Doubs. It is also called “Vacherin du Haut Doubs” and is produced 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 is the result of a long tradition that is perpetuated today thanks to a PDO. Here are the main points that guarantee the protection of the Mont d'Or :

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

Just like other iconic products of local gastronomy, sausage and comté cheese, it is very difficult to date the origin of Mont d'Or as it is so much a part of our history. The farmers valued it winter milk, produced in smaller quantities, to make more small cheeses consumed by the family, unlike the comté cheese produced thanks to the more abundant spring milk. We find the first traces of a cheese surrounded by a strap from the 13th century, and later, Louis XV had some on his table! Mont d'Or obtained its AOC in 1981, then its AOP 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 more about Mont d'Or it is this way !

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 on 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).