Tete De Moine is a Swiss cheese with its name referring to the Monk’s head literally. The cheese was first produced by the monks residing in the Abbey of Bellelay located within the French speaking region, Canton of Bern.
The cheese is prepared from cow milk with 50% of the cheese obtained from a semi hard pressed cheese paste. The cheese is sold in a cylindrical shaped form with each cylinder weighing about 800g on an average. However, 2.5 kg cylinders of the cheese are frequently available as well.
It is semi hard in consistency and is not cut into slices being pared into rosettes instead. This technique helps the cheese to develop a subtle taste making it melt in the mouth.
The cheese is aged for three months on a plank and can be paired with dry white wines. It has been recognized as an Appellation d'origine controlee since May 2001 and is exported to almost all countries of the world at present. The excellent quality of the cheese is associated with the traditional cheese manufacturing processes of Swiss Jura.
The cheese was first produced by the monks belonging to the region and writings from 1292 confirm that the cheese had been used as currency and were given as presents to the Princes and Bishops of those times.
The soldiers likened the cheese to the process of tonsuring a monk’s head when they discovered that the cheese could be consumed by scraping it with a knife in order to taste its flavors fully.
Wines like Chardonnay or Rielsing go well with the cheese too.
Available in most of the gourmet cheese stores across the United States of America. Tete De Moine can also be bought online.
The best way to store the cheese is to keep it refrigerated, wrapped in waxed paper or aluminum foil.
The cheese contains 120 calories per serving. It is high in fat and carbohydrates containing a good amount of sodium on account of it being brine washed. The cheese is considered to be rich in Vitamin A as it contains almost 10% of the beneficial vitamin.
The Girolle, invented in 1982 is an apparatus used specifically for cutting the cheese into rosettes. It consists of a scrapper which can cut the cheese into florets by rotating it around an axle.