Port Salut

What is Port Salut Cheese?

Port Salut comes from Pays de la Loire in France, where Trappist monks developed it during the 19th century at Port-du-Salut Abbey in Entrammes. Many of those monks had left France during the Revolution of 1789 and learned cheese-making abroad to support themselves. They brought the skills home after the Bourbon Restoration. The name of their society, Societe Anonyme des Fermiers Reunis, became a registered trademark and still appears as S.A.F.R. on the wheels.

In 1873 the head of the abbey gave a Parisian cheese-seller exclusive distribution rights, and sales climbed. The abbey looked for trade protection and finally sold the rights to the Bel Group in 1950. Production moved to a factory, where the smooth rind now comes from a plastic-coated wrapper. Handmade Port Salut, sold as Entrammes, is still made at monasteries around the French countryside.

The cheese is pasteurized cow's milk, semi-soft, and sold in wheels of about 23 cm (9 inches) across weighing roughly 2 kg (4.4 lb). The rind is orange. Flavor stays mild, though the smell can turn strong because this is a mature cheese, and it grows stronger the longer the wheel is kept. That has no effect on the taste.

Keep it refrigerated and eat it within two weeks of opening. A wax rind can be eaten, but it takes something away from the cheese itself.