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Cheese from France, the Langres plateau and the Bassigny pastures

Langres PDOLangres

Cow milk ripens a long time with starters before rennet is added, so it sets mainly by lactic acid. The curd is lightly cut, moulded, drained for 24 hours, dry-salted and dried on grates. During at least 21 days of ripening (15 for the small size) the rind is rubbed with brine, with annatto (rocou) added where necessary. The finished cheese has a hollow on top called the fontaine.

Fully documentedCheese16 daysPDO (EU, 1996); appellation d'origine since 1991Family: Washed-rind (smear-ripened) cheese family (Munster and Époisses as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification fixes the steps and minimum times, not amounts.
Cow milkFrom cows fed mainly on natural grassland and local hay[langres-eu-1996]
Lactic starters[langres-eu-1996]
RennetAdded after a long ripening of the milk; the set is mainly lactic[langres-eu-1996]
Dry salt[langres-eu-1996]
Brine with rocou (annatto)Rubbed on the rind where needed[langres-eu-1996]
Starterlactic starters, then rennet; lactic coagulation

Total time across the recorded steps: 16 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countYeastsGeotrichumMilk proteinGel (curd)

What changes: Starters sour the milk slowly, then rennet is added and the curd sets mainly by lactic acid

Step 1 of 5
Ripen the milk with starters, then add rennet
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Yeasts
Geotrichum

The registration summary describes a long ripening during which starters are added, then rennet; coagulation is lactic. Output: lactic curd.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
soft, acid curd
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

lactic starters sour the milk slowly before rennet is added

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Cow milk ripens a long time with starters before rennet is added, so it sets mainly by lactic acid. The curd is lightly cut, moulded, drained for 24 hours, dry-salted and dried on grates. During at least 21 days of ripening (15 for the small size) the rind is rubbed with brine, with annatto (rocou) added where necessary. The finished cheese has a hollow on top called the fontaine. Made in 5 steps over 16 days. The longest step, ripen and rub the rind with brine, takes at least 15 days (INAO 2081). Lactic starters that set the curd and Yeasts Debaryomyces and Dipodascus (Geotrichum) dominating the fungi of the rind and core do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 15 daysSet[langres-eu-1996]Ripen and rub the rind with brine
AciditypH 5–5.2Measured[unno2021]Ripen and rub the rind with brine

What makes this one different

Langres sets mainly by lactic souring, and it has a hollow top, the fontaine. Its rind is rubbed with brine that has annatto added where necessary. In one study its core stayed acid, near pH 5, and the acid-sensitive rind bacteria Brevibacterium and Corynebacterium, found on other smear cheeses, were scarce on it.

Milk
Cow milk
Shape and size
Cylinder with a hollow top; in the 1996 registration, 16–20 cm across and at least 800 g, or 7.5–9 cm across and at least 150 g. Since the 2012 amendment there are three sizes: large (16–20 cm mould, 800–1300 g), medium (9–10 cm mould, 280–350 g) and small (7–8 cm mould, 150–250 g).
Fat
At least 50 % fat (registration summary)
Ripening
At least 21 days, 15 days for the small size

Related ferments

Variants

  • Grand LangresMade in a 16–20 cm mould, 800–1300 g; ripened at least 21 days
  • Medium LangresMade in a 9–10 cm mould, 280–350 g; added by the 2012 amendment
  • Petit LangresMade in a 7–8 cm mould, 150–250 g; ripened at least 15 days

Safety

The paste stays acid, near pH 5.0–5.2 in the core of retail cheeses. Hafnia paralvei isolated from Langres can form putrescine, a biogenic amine.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Town accounts of Langres and records of seigneurial rights point to a medieval origin. The registration says the cheese has a tradition going back to the 18th century and is mentioned in a song written by the Prior of the Dominicans of Langres. A specialised publication referred to it in 1874. Establishments in Langres bought the unripened cheese, matured it themselves and sent it to Paris and Geneva. The professional organisations applied for a designation in 1989, and recognition was granted in 1991 (decree of 14 May 1991).

  1. [langres-eu-1996] INAO, Application for registration of the PDO Langres under Regulation (EEC) 2081/92 (registration summary, EN), eAmbrosia attachment 71423; the specification was amended in 2012 (Implementing Regulation (EU) No 762/2012), and that consolidated text was not seenspec
  2. [langres-sd2011] Publication of an amendment application for the PDO 'Langres' with its single document, Official Journal of the European Union C 247, 25 August 2011, p. 11 (2011/C 247/06; EN, Publications Office copy); the amendment was approved by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 762/2012spec
  3. [unno2021] Unno R., Suzuki T., Matsutani M., Ishikawa M. 2021, Evaluation of the relationships between microbiota and metabolites in soft-type ripened cheese using an integrated omics approach, Frontiers in Microbiology 12:681185, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.681185paper
  4. [ami2025] Ami Y., Sugiwaka E., Kurihara S. 2025, Isolation of Hafnia paralvei FB315, a polyamine-high-producing bacterium, from aged cheese, Methods in Enzymology 715:389–406 (abstract)paper