Cheese Database

Morbier vs Saint-Nectaire

Morbier, field guide plate
Morbier, photographed

Morbier

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Pressed
Rind
Washed rind
Country
France
Place
Franche-Comté

Morbier is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Franche-Comté in France. A thin dark line of ash runs through the middle of the wheel, and that line is the mark people look for. The paste is ivory to pale yellow, smooth, and supple. The rind is smooth and light brown to orange, and it is brushed during ripening. The cheese is mild when young and fuller after more time in the cellar.

Saint-Nectaire

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
France
Place
Auvergne

Saint-Nectaire is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Auvergne, in central France. It is pressed, not cooked, and formed into a flat round with a gray, mottled rind. The paste is supple, ivory to pale gold, and usually has a few small holes. The smell of the rind suggests damp earth, straw, and a cellar, while the inside stays milky. Farmhouse and dairy versions both exist, and the label tells them apart.