Mont d'Or 
Mont d'Or is a seasonal soft cow's milk cheese from the Jura region of France and Switzerland, wrapped in a band of spruce that gives it its flavor. It sells from September 10 to May 10 and is usually warmed in its spruce box and eaten like fondue.
Хрюша, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Jura Mountains, Doubs |
| Protection | PDO (1996) |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw |
| Fat Content | 45 to 50 percent milk fat in dry matter |
| Rind | Washed rind |
| Texture | Soft |
| Flavor | Resinous, mild to pungent |
| Colors | White or ivory, yellow to light brown |
| Forms | Wheels |
| Age | 21 to 60 days |
| Rennet Type | Animal |
| Alternative Spellings | Mont D'or, Mont Dor |
| Also Known As | Vacherin Mont D'or |
What is Mont d'Or Cheese?
Mont d'Or, also called Vacherin Mont d'Or or simply Vacherin, is a soft, rich, seasonal cow's milk cheese. It is made in Switzerland and France, usually in villages of the Jura region, an origin officially controlled since 1981. In France it goes by Vacherin du Haut-Doubs; in Switzerland, Vacherin Mont-d'Or, though local shops tend to call it just Vacherin.
It was traditionally made in the winter months, when the cows came down from the alpage and there was not enough milk to make Comté. Production still runs between August 15 and March 15. The French version is unpasteurized. The Swiss version is generally made with thermized milk, since pasteurization is not allowed.
Each cheese is wrapped in a sangle, a strip cut from the cambium of a Norway spruce, for at least two weeks. That band is what gives the cheese its particular flavor, and the strips are harvested by specialists known as sanglier. The cheese typically contains 45 to 50 percent milk fat in dry matter and carries a grayish-yellow washed rind.
It is marketed in round spruce boxes of various diameters and sold between September 10 and May 10. The usual way to eat it is warmed in its original packaging, like fondue.
The French AOC/PDO allows artisanal and coopérative production of Mont d'Or, and as of 2009 there were 11 producers of Vacherin in France. The Swiss version has been protected by an AOC since 2003 and an AOP since 2013.
How Does Mont d'Or Cheese Compare?
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