Abbaye de Citeaux
Cîteaux is a farmhouse cheese made by the monks of the Abbaye de Cîteaux in the Côte-d'Or and sold under that name since 1925. It is a small pressed wheel of about 720 grams, made from thermized milk of the abbey's own Montbéliarde cows.
Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Burgundy |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Thermized |
| Rind | Washed |
| Texture | Semi-soft, artisan, brined |
| Flavor | Acidic, milky, smooth |
| Aroma | Barnyardy, earthy |
| Colors | White |
| Forms | Wheels 11 cm across and 2.5 cm high, about 720 g |
| Age | Three weeks |
| Alternative Spellings | Abbaye de Cîteaux |
| Also Known As | Cîteaux, fromage de Cîteaux |
What is Abbaye de Citeaux Cheese?
Cîteaux is a farmhouse abbey cheese made by the monastic community of the Abbaye de Cîteaux, in the commune of Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux in the Côte-d'Or. The monks have sold it since 1925. Two trademarks cover it: "Abbaye de Cîteaux Prière & Travail", published and registered in 1988, and "Cîteaux", published in 2005 and registered in 2006.
The milk comes from the abbey's own herd of Montbéliarde cows, raised on 240 hectares of monastery land. It is thermized rather than used raw, which puts these monks among the few French farmhouse producers who do not make cheese from raw milk. Each cheese takes five litres of whole thermized milk, with calcium chloride, lactic ferments, rennet, egg lysozyme (E1105) and salt.
The curd is pressed and uncooked. A finished wheel measures 11 cm across and 2.5 cm high and weighs around 720 grams, close in size and shape to a small reblochon. It ripens for three weeks in cellars held at 12 °C.
Each year the abbey produces more than 400 tonnes of milk and turns it into 70 tonnes of cheese.
How Does Abbaye de Citeaux Cheese Compare?
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