Livarot

Appearance & taste

Livarot is a cylindrical soft cheese wrapped in three to five bands; the “Livarot” (4/4) size carries bands of plant material. There are four sales sizes: the large Livarot with a diameter of 19 to 21 cm and 1.2 to 1.5 kg, the Livarot (4/4) with 12 to 12.8 cm and 450 to 500 g, the 3/4 Livarot with 10.7 to 11.5 cm and 330 to 350 g and the small Livarot with 8 to 9.4 cm and 200 to 270 g. The fat content in dry matter is between 44 and 52 %.

The washed rind is slightly sticky and straw-yellow to reddish. The supple paste is dark yellow and has a few small holes. The specification describes Livarot as a strong cheese with lasting aromas: the slightly salty paste melts in the mouth, with a distinctive taste that hints at floral aromas of grass and hay as well as animal and smoky notes.

Each cheese carries its own label with the name and the words “Appellation d’Origine Protégée” or “AOP”. According to the specification, the bands are an inseparable part of Livarot’s identity.

Production

The farms’ herds consist only of dairy cows of the Normande breed. The cows are on pasture for at least six months a year; for each cow milked, a farm has at least 0.33 ha of grassland, of which at least 0.25 ha is pasture that can be reached from the milking parlours. At least 80 % of the basic feed (as dry matter) comes from the farm’s land in the area, and supplementary feed is limited to 1,800 kg per cow per year.

Only skimmed and matured milk is used. Apart from the milk, only rennet, bacterial cultures, yeasts, moulds, calcium chloride and salt are permitted. The curd is cut into medium-sized grains and stirred. In the ripening room the cheese is washed regularly so that the orange rind forms, and during ripening it is wrapped three to five times with one or more bands; this helps it keep its shape. Ripening lasts at least 21 days from coagulation for the small and the 3/4 Livarot and at least 35 days for the Livarot and the large Livarot. Milk production, cheesemaking, ripening and wrapping take place in the area.

Origin & history

The Pays d’Auge lies between the English Channel in the north and the hills of the Perche in the south, at an altitude of 120 to 250 m. Many watercourses have formed wide valleys and plateaus, separated by deep gorges and small valleys with steep slopes. Clay soils predominate, and the climate is oceanic, with rainfall throughout the year and small temperature variations. This favours grassland and long grazing periods. The livestock farmers chose the Normande breed, which is well adapted to the grassland and whose milk, according to the specification, coagulates well and is well suited to cheesemaking.

The first written references to Livarot date back to the 17th century. In the second half of the 19th century the cheese became more popular because the railway could now take it to the cities. The knowledge of soft cheeses with a washed rind, of ripening, washing and wrapping, has been passed down in the Pays d’Auge to this day.