Fact sheet
Maroilles (45% fat dry extract) is named after the Maroilles abbey (from the Gallic Maro Lalo which means large glade) where the monks were already making it in the 7th century under the name “Craquegnon” or “Marvel of Maroilles”. The pride of Thiérache, this soft cheese with a washed rind (AOC certification since 1955 and AOP since1996) is made in the Aisne (Picardie) and Nord (Nord-Pas-de-Calais) departments. Its natural caves with specific characteristics are what give the cheese its strong personality, namely a powerful aroma well-balanced by a mild but distinctive,
strong taste. Its white or slightly golden centre is firm and creamy, and its rind smooth and shiny in a lovely red-orange colour. It comes in the form of a 6-cm thick square, measuring 13 cm on the sides, and weighing 720 g (requiring seven litres of cow’s milk) and it is also available in three smaller formats, known as “sorbais” (540 g), “mignon” (360 g) and “quart” (180 g).
Production and consumption
Maroilles is made by about ten farmer producers and a few cheese dairies. Between May 2010 and May 2011, its sales totalled 3 085 tons. The milk is curdled and moulded, then immersed in a brine and left to dry in a cheese ripening room for a month where a natural bluish flora covers the surface. The cheese is then placed in a cellar (10°C to 12°C) where it matures for five to ten weeks and the “blue” is removed by successive brushing with salt water supplemented by beer, which gives it that lovely orangey-red colour.
It is often served “white” (young) for breakfast in the north of France with a country loaf. When heated, it is used to make sauces to accompany meat, poultry or fish as well as regional recipes, (goyères, flamiches, Maroilles rôtis). Its aromas go well with champagne, white wines like Gewurztraminer or light ale from the Nord.
At Rungis Market
For Mr Yves Cremmer, Manager of the store Au Marché des Fromagers (Odeon): “Farmhouse Maroilles sells very well with 40 to 50 packets of 12 cheeses (750 g) per week. Two producers supply me with this cheese, which I mostly sell to dairy retailers (stores and markets) and a few gastronomic restaurants. This aromatic cheese has a texture that is soft but not sticky. It needs at least 70 days ripening, or 90 days for a stronger taste.”
Francis Duriez
