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EveryCheese

Washed-rind cheeses

Epoisses, Taleggio, Limburger and Munster: rinds washed in brine or spirits, sticky, orange and strong.

A block: a square or brick, cut from a slab or pressed in a square mould. Feta, Taleggio and processed cheese come in blocks.

Washed-rind cheeses are rubbed or bathed in brine, beer, wine, cider or spirits as they ripen. The damp, salty surface welcomes Brevibacterium linens and related bacteria, which colour the rind orange to russet, make it sticky and give the famous smell. Inside, the paste is often milder than the rind suggests: soft, meaty and supple. Époisses, Munster, Taleggio, Limburger, Maroilles and Livarot are the classics, and many began in monasteries.

How the rind is made

After moulding and salting, the young cheeses are washed every few days with brine or a weak alcohol, by hand or with a cloth. The washing keeps the surface moist and salty, which holds back unwanted moulds and lets coryneform bacteria thrive, including B. linens. These bring the orange colour, sometimes helped by annatto, and the aromas of meat, broth and farmyard. Époisses is washed with marc de Bourgogne, a spirit distilled from grape pomace, Munster with brine, and Taleggio is wiped with brine and a sponge.

Monks and the washed rind

Many washed rinds have a monastic story. Maroilles is said to have been created at the Abbey of Maroilles in the tenth century. Munster takes its name from the monastery town of Munster in Alsace. Port-Salut came from the Trappist abbey of Port-du-Salut at Entrammes, and Trappist houses in Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada made similar cheeses. A common explanation is that monks needed rich, savoury food for their many meatless days, and a strong washed rind filled that place.

Strength and serving

The smell can be powerful, but the flavour is usually gentler: savoury, sweet and creamy. Époisses runs when ripe and is eaten with a spoon. Limburger, from the old Duchy of Limburg, is eaten on rye bread with raw onion in Germany and in Wisconsin. Taleggio melts into risotto and polenta. Lightly washed cheeses such as Reblochon and Raclette melt well and are the base of tartiflette and raclette. Many people who flinch at the smell enjoy the taste once they try it.

Worth knowing

  • Époisses: Burgundy cheese washed in marc, soft enough to spoon
  • Munster: Alsace cheese, often served with cumin seeds
  • Taleggio: Square, mild washed rind of Lombardy
  • Limburger: Strong cheese of Belgium, Germany and Wisconsin
  • Maroilles: Square abbey cheese of northern France
  • Livarot: Normandy cheese bound with five strips of sedge
  • Pont-l'Évêque: Square Normandy cheese, one of the oldest of the region
  • Herve: Belgium's best-known strong cheese

Good to know

  • Wrap washed rinds well and keep them in a closed box so their smell does not spread through the fridge.
  • Serve at room temperature, when the paste softens and the flavour rounds out.
  • The rind is edible, though some people trim it on the strongest cheeses.
  • A moist, sticky rind is normal; a dry, cracked rind means the cheese has been kept too dry.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Washed rind on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇮🇪 IrelandGubbeen A washed-rind semi-soft cow's milk cheese from County Cork, Ireland.Cow · Semi-soft · Mushroomy 🇺🇸 United StatesLiederkranz A pungent American smear-ripened cow's milk cheese created in 1891 as a Limburger variant.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, ripened in perry.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceBaguette laonnaise A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from northern France shaped like a small loaf.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMunsterMunster-géromé A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges mountains of eastern France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇧🇪 Belgium and 2 moreLimburger A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Belgium known for its strong aroma and soft texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Salty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreReblochon A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the French Alps with a nutty flavour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceLivarot A soft Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a pungent orange rind wrapped in reed bands.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceÉpoisses A pungent washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Burgundy, rinsed in local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FrancePont-l'Évêque A soft, square cow's-milk cheese from Normandy with a washed rind and pungent aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇮🇹 ItalyTaleggiotalegg, taegg or taècc A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy with a pinkish rind and fruity tang.Cow · Semi-soft 🇫🇷 FranceLangres A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Langres plateau in France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-NectaireSench-Nectari A semi-soft washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the volcanic Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreVacherin Mont d'Or A soft, seasonal cow's milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark from the Jura mountains.Cow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreWeisslackerWeißlacker A pungent German cow's-milk cheese aged seven months with a whitewashed rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-PaulinSaint Paulin A semi-soft French cow's milk cheese with a washed orange rind and buttery flavour.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇷🇴 RomaniaNăsal A smear-ripened cow's-milk cheese from Romania aged in a natural cave.Cow · Washed rind · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 FranceAisy cendré A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese rolled in wood ash and aged for two weeks.Cow · Washed rind · Smoky 🇧🇪 BelgiumRemoudour'moûdou A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Land of Herve in Belgium.Cow · Washed rind 🇨🇦 CanadaOka A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a copper-orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceTrou du Cru A pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, aged with local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMaredsous A semi-hard cow's milk washed-rind cheese with an orange crust and pungent aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Pungent and funky 🇦🇹 AustriaMondseer A semi-hard Austrian cow's milk cheese with a washed rind and mild sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇦 CanadaLe Douanier A semi-soft cow's milk cheese with a wash-rinsed rind and a central edible line from Quebec.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop A washed-rind Gloucestershire cheese ripened in perry from the Stinking Bishop pear.Cow · Washed rind · Tangy and lactic

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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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