Mimolette

Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a cantaloupe melon. It normally weighs about 2 kg (approximately 4.5 pounds) and is made from pasteurized cow's milk. Its name comes from the French word {{Lang|fr|mi-mou}} (feminine {{Lang|fr|mi-molle}}), meaning "semi-soft", which refers to the oily texture of this otherwise hard cheese.{{Cite web|title=Mimolette|url=https://www.cheesemonthclub.com/mimolette|access-date=2021-04-24|website=The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club|language=en}} The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning annatto.{{cite book|last1=Karlin|first1=M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMzLELu0qawC&pg=PA91|title=Artisan Cheese Making at Home: Techniques & Recipes for Mastering World-Class Cheeses [A Cookbook]|last2=Anderson|first2=E.|last3=Reinhart|first3=P.|publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed|year=2011|isbn=978-1-60774-044-5|page=91|access-date=10 April 2021}} When used in small amounts, primarily as a food colorant, annatto adds no discernible flavor{{cite book|last1=Lynch|first1=B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVmXBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|title=Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition|last2=Smart|first2=J.|last3=Jones|first3=D.|publisher=HMH Books|year=2019|isbn=978-0-547-41736-3|page=165|access-date=10 April 2021}} or aroma. The grey-colored rind of aged Mimolette occurs from cheese mites that are added to the surface of the cheese, which serve to enhance its flavor.

Mimolette can be consumed at different stages of aging. When younger, its taste resembles that of Parmesan. Many appreciate it most when it is "extra-old" (extra-vieille).{{Cite web|date=2014-02-12|title=Mimolette Cheese, It's Illegal, Not Immoral, And It Might Make You Fat|url=https://triedandsupplied.com/saucydressings/mimolette-cheese/|access-date=2021-04-24|website=Tried & Supplied|language=en-GB|archive-date=2021-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427231743/https://triedandsupplied.com/saucydressings/mimolette-cheese/|url-status=dead}} At that point, it can become rather hard to chew, and the flesh takes on a hazelnut-like flavor.

It was originally made by the request of Louis XIV, who – in the context of Jean-Baptiste Colbert's mercantilistic policies – was looking for a native French product to replace the then very popular Edam. To make it distinct from Edam, it was first colored using carrot juice and later seasoned with annatto to give it a distinct orange color. It was then known as vieux Hollande or boule de Lille. The modern name only appeared in the 20th century, referring to the cheese's semi-soft, semi-hard texture when young.{{cite journal |last=Mazzini |first=Elora |title=La Mimolette |journal=Fromages |issue=2 |date=Winter 2023 |pages=20–23 |language=fr}}

Farmers from the original region gradually abandoned the production of this cheese, until it was revived elsewhere in France by three industrial cheesemakers: Lactalis in Bouvron, the Isigny-Sainte-Mère cooperative in Manche, and Savencia in Somme. The cheese is now pasteurized. In the 2010s, some artisanal farm production re-emerged.{{cite book |last=Coulon |first=Pierre |title=Le bon savoir du fromage |publisher=First Éditions |year=2022 |isbn=978-2-412-08496-0 |page=80 |url=https://www.google.fr/books/edition/Le_bon_savoir_du_fromage/L9uYEAAAQBAJ?hl=fr&gbpv=1&pg=PA80 |language=fr}}

The cheese was known to be a favorite of French President Charles de Gaulle.

In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration detained about a ton of the cheese, putting further imports to the United States on hold. This was because the cheese mites could cause an allergic reaction if consumed in large quantities. The FDA stated that the cheese was above the standard of six mites per cubic inch.{{Cite web|url=http://m.sfgate.com/food/cheesecourse/article/Mimolette-imports-on-hold-4926637.php|title=Mimolette imports on hold|website=SFGate|date=25 October 2013 |access-date=2016-05-19}} The restriction was lifted in 2014.{{cite web|url=https://yummybazaar.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-mimolette-cheese|title=A guide to Mimolette cheese}}

Mimolette is the name of the mouse in the animated children's television series Gideon (by Michel Ocelot), broadcast in France in the mid-1970s.

{{portal|Food}}

• List of cheeses
• Milbenkäse
• Casu marzu
• Cuisine and specialties of Nord-Pas-de-Calais

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite book | last=Michelson | first=P. | title=Cheese: Exploring Taste and Tradition | publisher=Gibbs Smith | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4236-0651-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oD1Z9v4mwdYC&pg=PT29 | access-date=27 December 2019 | page=pt29}}

{{cite book | last1=Donnelly | first1=C. | last2=Kehler | first2=M. | title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese | publisher=Oxford University Press | series=Oxford Companions | year=2016 | isbn=978-0-19-933090-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRrGDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA483 | access-date=27 December 2019 | page=483}}

{{cite book | last=Dhooria | first=M.S. | title=Fundamentals of Applied Acarology | publisher=Springer Singapore | year=2016 | isbn=978-981-10-1594-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ktS4DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA455 | access-date=10 April 2021 | page=455}}

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{{French cheeses}}

Category:French cheeses

Category:Cow's-milk cheeses

Category:Mites as food

Category:Lille

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