Comté

buttery, creamy, & nutty
complex flavor that evolves as it ages

history of the cheese

Comté is a Gruyére-style cheese made in the mountainous Franche Comté region near the French-Swiss border. Farmers have been crafting this alpine-style cheese as far back as the 13th century as a way to store milk in the winters. Since farmers had small herds and each wheel requires about 400-450 liters of milk (or about 20 cows) they would pool their milk together. These cooperatives are known as fruitières. Not only were fruitières a place to produce cheese, they were also a much needed hub to combat social isolation.

French Comté was the first cheese to be protected by origin (PDO). The cows must be Montebéliarde, French Simmental, or a crossbreed of the two; have one hectare of pasture per cow; and graze on fresh grasses in the summers and hay in the winters. Comté is a raw milk cheese, allowing subtle notes from the grass and hay to be more apparent than if the milk was pasteurized. Cheeses made from winter milk are lighter yellow than summer cheeses.

Eighty three official flavor markers have been identified for Comté and can be divided into 6 groups: lactic, fruity, toasted, vegetable, animal, and spicy.

how it’s made

Today, around 2,500 family farms contribute to the production of the cheese where it’s still made in a cooperative style between the farmers, fruitière, and affineur, the ones who age the cheese. Every step of the process is done with care as all three share the profits.

The milk can’t be transported more than 25 km (15 miles) and must be made into cheese within 24 hours of milking. It’s gently warmed in large copper vats where rennet is added for coagulation, forming curds. The curds are cut, stirred, and reheated to drain off the whey before being molded and pressed. The next day, the cheese is transferred to a cellar at the diary and aged for 10 days before being transported to the affineur to age for a minimum of 4 months and as long as 36 months.

to serve

When buying Comté, look for the green label which means the cheese scored high for rind quality, appearance, internal structure, flavor, and texture. A brown label is given to the cheese if it has cracks or holes — which is not to say it’s less delicious. Serve aged Comté on a cheeseboard with salami, fig jam, walnuts or hazelnuts, and mustard. Younger cheeses can be melted for fondue or tartiflette. Serve with Vin Jaune or Jura wines, young reds, Champagne, or farmhouse ales.