Cheesy Christmas 18: Munster

Today’s cheese was another of the stinky persuasion… but we weathered the storm better than expected really.

Perhaps we’re getting accustomed to all these ‘little stinkers’. One has to wonder… is that a good thing or a bad thing!?

(Wondering ‘Why the daily cheese posts?’… read this 🙂 )

What’s the Stink?

If you have been following along our Cheesy Christmas posts, you’ll remember that a few days ago, on Day 14 to be precise, we’d tasted a particularly strong-smelling (& strong tasting) cheese… the Pont l’Évêque. In it, I did a quick run-down of a few sites that listed what they considered to be France’s smelliest cheeses. Well, in addition to Pont l’Évêque, Munster also appeared on a couple of those lists.

Today, therefore, is another stinky cheese day.

Day #18: Munster

Name: Munster
This cheese derives its name from the small Alsatian town where it was originally produced: Munster, in the Haut Rhin department (dark green on the map), part of the Alsace region (dark + light green together). This area is familiar, at least in name, to many North Americans since it figured into many a history lesson, having changed hands between Germany and France several times.
Region: Vosges
While typically an Alsatian cheese, this particular Munster was produced in the neighbouring Vosges department (orange on the map). Incidentally, this region is also known for its forest honey.
Milk: Cow’s milk
Our Score: 3.5/5
This cheese may have a strong smell, but various descriptions attest to the fact that, to phrase it in common parlance, ‘it’s bark is worse than its bite’. Yes… for all its pungent aroma… the taste is not as strong as you might expect. Where other smelly cheeses have struggled to break the 2/5 grade…. this one got a 3.5. So, if you’ve ever wanted to try Munster, but were scared off by the smell… give it a try. You may be surprised.