Munster is a washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Alsace and the Vosges, and a protected name. The rind is orange. The smell is strong. The paste is softer and milder than the smell suggests.
The protected cheese is also called Munster-Géromé. Géromé is the same cheese on the Lorraine side of the mountains. A mild American brick sold as Muenster is a different, much quieter cheese.
History
The town of Munster takes its name from a monastery, and the cheese is the washed-rind cheese of those Vosges valleys. Monastic and farm dairying in Alsace and on the Lorraine slope both belong to the story. The cheese was made to use the milk of mountain cows and to ripen in damp cellars into something pungent and soft.
The protection covers both names, Munster and Munster-Géromé, as one cheese. The spelling Muenster, with the extra letter, is how a different American cheese is usually written. That American cheese is mild, pale, and made for sandwiches. It borrowed a European washed-cheese name and left the smell behind. Do not follow an Alsatian recipe with the American slice, or a deli sandwich recipe with a ripe Alsatian wheel.
How it is made
Cow's milk is set and molded into rounds. As the cheeses ripen they are washed, which encourages the orange surface flora. The wash is what makes the rind smell. The paste underneath softens and stays creamy if the cheese is well kept. Caraway or cumin seeds are a traditional accompaniment in the region, sometimes on the cheese and often on the plate. They are not required inside every wheel.
A protected Munster from the Vosges has a washed rind and a real aroma. An American Muenster is typically a semi-soft slice with a light orange color on the outside and almost no washed-rind smell. The color can be a dye or a slight smear. The method is not the monastery valley method. If you cannot smell the French cheese across a small table, it may be cold, young, or the wrong cheese.
Taste
The paste tastes salty, creamy, and savory, with a tang that grows as the cheese ripens. The rind tastes stronger than the center. Together they should be pungent and still appetizing. A ripe Munster yields to the knife. A very ripe one can be spoonable near the rind.
Ammonia that overwhelms the other smells means the cheese is too old. A bitter paste is a fault. A complete mildness is a sign that you have the American namesake or a cheese that has not ripened. Let the French cheese warm in its box. Cold washed rind tastes closed and feels tight. Warm washed rind is the food.
In the kitchen
Eat it with bread, boiled potatoes, and cumin or caraway, which is the Alsatian way of giving the fat a sharp partner. Put it on a board with other strong cheeses, not next to a delicate fresh goat cheese that it will drown. Cook it only when you want the smell in the whole dish. A potato gratin can take it. A subtle fish cannot.
Do not trim away the entire rind and expect the cheese to remain interesting. The rind is the aromatic half. Do not use American Muenster in an Alsatian recipe and call the result traditional. Use the American slice for a mild deli sandwich, which is its actual job. Taleggio is a gentler washed substitute. Époisses is a stronger, smaller, spoonable one.
Around the world
Protected Munster is made in Alsace and the Vosges, including the Géromé side. In the region it is a local table cheese, eaten with potatoes and beer or wine, not a novelty. Elsewhere in France and abroad it is the washed cheese people buy when they want a strong Alsatian rind.
The American Muenster is a mainstream sandwich cheese in the United States, often spelled differently and stacked with ham. Both cheeses have a right to their shops. They do not have a right to each other's recipes. When this catalog says Munster, it means the protected French washed cheese. When a US deli menu says Muenster, ask if the sandwich in front of you smells like a cellar. If it does not, you have the mild slice.