Food Encyclopedia

Époisses de Bourgogne

A washed rind cow's-milk cheese first created in the early 1500s by Cistercian monks in the Burgundian village of Époisses. It was a favorite of Napoleon and declared "King of Cheeses" by famous French gastronomic writer Brillant-Savarin in 1825. Its popularity dwindled in the 1900s, a victim of the two World Wars, and Époisses effectively disappeared until revived in the mid 1950s by Robert and Simone Berthaut. Since then it's gained a huge following of those who enjoy a strong-smelling, pungently flavored cheese. As it's ripening, Époisses is regularly brushed with a mixture of water and marc. This process helps evenly spread desirable bacteria over the cheese's surface, producing a bright orange rind, a creamy texture and a savory, earthy flavor. The 7-ounce wheels are packaged in protective wooden boxes. The Berthauts also produce Aisy Cendré, a shorter-aged "young Époisses," and their Affidelice, which is washed with chablis instead of marc. See also cheese.