It is said that Mimolette was originally made by the request of Louis XIV, who was looking for a French cheese to replace the very popular Edam cheese from Holland. However to differentiate it from Edam, they coloured the cheese with annatto, a natural orange colorant.
This 6 months aged Mimolette is produced by Isigny Sainte-Mère, a cooperative dairy located in Normandie, France. The fame and fortune of Isigny Sainte-Mère was built on the unique flavour of its butter and the rich, silky texture of its crème fraîche. Isigny Sainte-Mère produces approximately 60% of the Mimolette in France.
Mimolette is a round shaped, uncooked, pressed paste, pasteurised
cow's milk cheese, weighing 2.5 to 3 kg (5.5 to 6.5 pounds). Apart from its
distinctive round melon shape, slightly flattened on top and bottom, Mimolette
has a stricking bright orange coloured paste.
Mimolette can be eaten at various stages of maturity. A young,
Mimolette (aged 3 months) has a moist semi-firm springy paste and rind. With the semi-old (aged 6 months), old (aged
12 months) and extra-old (aged 18-24 months) the paste of the Mimolette darkens
to a deeper pumpkin coloured hue and becomes much harder with age, sometimes
even hard to chew.
The greyish-tan textured crusty rind on an aged Mimolette is the
result of Acarus siro mites. The action of these living cheese mites on the
surface of the Mimolette contributes to its peculiar appearance and distinctive
earthy flavor and intense aroma.
Most cheese lovers will appreciate an aged Mimolette for its
exquisite spicy, salty flavour and its wonderful lingering caramelized butterscotch
finish. Mimolette pairs nicely with desert wines such as a French Banyuls.