Cheese Database

Port Salut vs Trappista

Port Salut, field guide plate
Port Salut, photographed

Port Salut

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Washed rind
Rind
Washed rind
Country
France

Port Salut is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from France, sold in small wheels with a smooth orange rind. The paste is pale, supple, and mild, with a light sweetness and a gentle tang. It slices cleanly, and it also softens when it is warmed. The smell can be stronger than the taste, especially after the wheel has been kept, but the flavor stays approachable. French cooking treats it as an everyday cheese, not as a fierce washed-rind challenge for specialists.

Trappista

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Washed rind
Rind
Washed rind
Country
France

Trappista is a mild semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk, and the style comes from France. The paste is pale yellow, smooth, and a little springy, usually with a few small holes. The flavor stays gentle, buttery, and slightly tangy rather than sharp or pungent. Many pieces slice easily and melt without a fight. In France the same family is widely sold under the names Port-Salut and Saint-Paulin.