🧀 Langres

Langres is a soft French cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), registered in the EU in 1996. According to the single document it is an interior-ripened cheese made exclusively from renneted cow's milk. ³ It is easy to recognise by the hollow on top, and its name comes from the town of Langres, where merchants once matured it. ⁴

Milk. The milk must come from the defined area and must be neither concentrated nor reconstituted; it may not be kept below zero. It is matured and coagulates slowly, over two and a half to five and a half hours, giving a lactic curd. At least 80% of the dry matter of the herd's ration comes from the area; the cows are on pasture at least six months a year, with at least 20 ares of grazing per cow, and concentrates are limited to 7 kg per cow per day on average over a year. ³

The cheese. The cheese contains at least 50% fat in dry matter, and dry matter above 42%. During drainage it is turned over no more than twice, which lets a depression, the fontaine or cuvette, form on the top (more than 5 mm deep). It is a slightly truncated cylinder in three sizes: large (mould 16 to 20 cm, 800 to 1,300 g), medium (mould 9 to 10 cm, 280 to 350 g) and small (mould 7 to 8 cm, 150 to 250 g). The cheese is white at first and turns creamy as it matures. The rind is smooth, lightly wrinkled and smeared, golden yellow to reddish-brown after maturation; the specification mentions repeated washing with salt water. Maturation in a humid atmosphere lasts 15 to 21 days, depending on size. ³

Where it is made. The milk is produced and the cheese made and matured in the pastures of Bassigny and the Langres plateau: four municipalities of Cote-d'Or, the districts of Chaumont and Langres in Haute-Marne, and the canton of Neufchateau in the Vosges. ³

Labelling. The label shows the name of the designation with the words Appellation d'origine in characters at least two-thirds the size of the largest on the label, and the EU PDO logo. ³

Where the hollow comes from. The cheese is hardly turned: the specification allows this no more than twice during draining, so the top sinks and forms a bowl. According to CNAOL, the deeper it is, the longer the cheese was matured, so it works as a clue to age. The hollow also became part of serving: during maturing, marc from Champagne or Burgundy was often poured into it to soak the cheese. Some lovers still add a few drops of Champagne or marc today. ³⁴⁵

How it was made on farms. Women mostly did this work. Still-warm milk was set to curdle in stoneware pots right after milking, then ladled into clay moulds called fromottes. The finished cheeses dried on plane-tree leaves in wicker cages called chasières, and during maturing they were rubbed with a salt solution. ⁴

Link with the area. According to the specification, writings attest that moulded, drained cheeses were already made around Langres in the Middle Ages; in the 19th century they were made on farms and the young white cheese was matured by merchants in the town of Langres. Production on farms declined after 1914-1918, and artisanal makers began again in 1950. By the end of the 19th century nearly 1,000 tonnes were made. Trading houses bought the young white cheese from farms, matured it themselves and shipped it to Paris, eastern France and even Switzerland. In the early 20th century farmers began delivering milk to factories, and production became seasonal. The producers' association was formed in 1981, and the French appellation came in 1991. Today the association cites 650 tonnes, 20 farms and 1,500 cows, while CNAOL gives 622 tonnes for 2020 and only one farmhouse producer. ³⁴⁵⁶

Langres or Époisses, Brie, Camembert? Each is a separate cheese with its own rules, so the useful comparison is by process and look. Langres is made only from renneted cow's milk that coagulates slowly, over two and a half to five and a half hours, into a lactic curd. It is turned no more than twice while draining, which makes the hollow on top, and the rind is smeared and washed with salt water, going from golden yellow to reddish-brown. It matures for only 15 to 21 days in a humid atmosphere, and the paste turns from white to creamy.

Look for the name Langres with the words Appellation d'origine and the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin), in letters at least two thirds the size of the largest on the label. Check the shape: a slightly truncated cylinder with a hollow more than 5 mm deep, in three sizes from 150 g to 1,300 g. The rind is smeared, golden yellow to reddish-brown. You will find it at a supermarket cheese counter, a delicatessen or a specialist cheese shop.

Why it matters to you. Look at the hollow: a shallow one means a younger, milkier cheese, a deep one an older, sharper one. The milk may be raw, thermised or pasteurised, so ask if that matters to you. The smell is strong, and the taste milky and fruity, more marked with age. Cut wedges from the centre. Weight also varies, from 150 g for a small cheese to 1,300 g for a large one, so check the size before buying. ³⁵