Maroilles 
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Maroilles is a cow's milk cheese from northern France, sold in rectangular blocks with a moist orange-red washed rind. It is known for its strong smell and takes its name from the village of Maroilles, where it has been made since the 10th century.
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Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Nord and Aisne |
| Protection | PDO (1996), AOC (1955) |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized and unpasteurized |
| Fat Content | Minimum 45% |
| Rind | Reddish-orange color |
| Texture | Semisoft |
| Flavor | Creamy taste, powerful aroma |
| Aroma | Cellars, wet brick, undergrowth |
| Colors | Reddish-orange rind |
| Forms | 25-oz, 19-oz, 12-oz, 6-oz sizes, square molds |
| Age | 5 weeks for 25-oz size |
| Rennet Type | Calf rennet |
| Alternative Spellings | Marolles |
What is Maroilles Cheese?
Maroilles is a cow's milk cheese from Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France. It takes its name from the village of Maroilles, where it is still made. The cheese is usually said to have been first made in 962 by a monk at the Abbey of Maroilles. Philip II, Louis IX, Charles VI and Francis I all favored it.
The curd is shaped and salted, then taken from its mould and left in a ventilated drying area for about ten days, during which a light coating of bacteria forms. The cheese is brushed, washed and cellared for at least five weeks, though four months is not unusual. Regular turning and brushing removes the white mould so the red bacteria can take the rind from yellow to red.
The finished block is rectangular, with a moist orange-red washed rind and a strong smell. The mass-produced size measures roughly 13 centimetres (5 in) square and 6 centimetres (2 in) high, weighing about 700 grams (25 oz). Three smaller AOC sizes exist: Sorbais at 550 g, ripened at least four weeks; Mignon at 350 g, at least three weeks; Quart at 180 g, at least two weeks.
Fat content is at least 45 percent, and both pasteurised and unpasteurised versions are produced. Output in 2005 came to 2,126 tons, around 6 percent of it from ten farmhouse producers and the rest from three industrial ones.
Several cheeses made in northern France by similar methods are grouped as the Maroilles family, among them Baguette Laonnaise, Boulette d'Avesnes, Dauphin, Gris de Lille and Rollot.
How Does Maroilles Cheese Compare?
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