cheese, reblochon

Reblochon's historical origin is a story of tax evasion: Savoyard farmers incompletely milked their cows when the landlord's agent came to assess the yield, then completed the milking after he left. The "second milk" was richer in fat than the first — and that richer milk became Reblochon. The cheese is small (typically 450g) with an orange-tan washed rind and a supple, creamy interior that softens at room temperature. Its flavor is nutty, mushroomy, and milky, with a light yeasty note from the washed rind — mild enough to be approachable but with genuine alpine complexity. Tartiflette — the Savoyard potato gratin with sliced Reblochon, lardons, and onions baked until the rind caramelizes — is the cheese's defining culinary application, created specifically to promote Reblochon sales in the 1980s but now indissolubly linked to Savoyard mountain cooking.