A detailed review of Vieux Boulogne cheese: chemical composition, manufacturing technology and beneficial properties. How is the product eaten, are there any contraindications to its use? Recipes using Vieux Boulogne.
Vieux Boulogne is a soft French cheese made from cow's milk with a persistent musty aroma. The product has a mushroom flavor and a bright orange crust. It is soaked in beer during maturation. The fat content of the cheese is 45%. Among gourmets, Vieux Boulogne is appreciated for its sophisticated taste, which is hidden behind the frankly unpleasant aroma of cheese. Scientists have awarded this product the status of the most "smelly" cheese in Britain and France.
Features of making Vieux Boulogne cheese
French society learned how to make Vieux Boulogne cheese in 1982. The modern recipe for this product belongs to Antoine Bernard and Philippe Olivier. Historians find it difficult to describe the circumstances under which Vieux Boulogne was first created. There are suggestions that chefs simply revived a long-forgotten product of their ancestors.
Currently, Vieux Boulogne is handcrafted mainly by small farmers. The bulk of the cheese produced (90%) is sold in Philippe Olivier's store. They sell between 230 and 350 cheese heads a week.
According to the original Vieux Boulogne cheese recipe, the product must be soaked in beer throughout the entire maturation process. This drink, upon contact with a fermented milk product, starts the fermentation process, as a result of which the cheese head acquires an original aroma. Many people compare the smell of Vieux Boulogne with rotten vegetables or rotten fish.
The main steps in the preparation of Vieux Boulogne cheese:
- Heating unpasteurized milk;
- Adding rennet to the milk mass;
- Grinding of the formed curd curd clots;
- Separation of cottage cheese from whey;
- Placing cheese in special square forms;
- Placing forms with a product in cellars with a certain temperature and humidity;
- Periodic washing of cheese heads with beer.
In damp cellars, the cheese is aged for 7-9 weeks. As a result, the masters get a square-shaped cheese head 4 cm high and 11 cm wide. Each portion of Vieux Boulogne weighs about 500 g.
Interesting! The French have created a legend that the salinity of Vieux Boulogne varies depending on the season. In their opinion, cows that graze near the waterways of France inhale a large amount of salt brought to the pastures by the wind from local canals. Milk from such cows is considered especially tasty and salty. This beautiful legend has no scientific confirmation.
Composition and calorie content of Vieux Boulogne cheese
The composition of Vieux Boulogne cheese contains a minimum amount of ingredients: cow's milk with a high percentage of fat, table salt, an enzyme for fermenting milk.
The calorie content of Vieux Boulogne cheese per 100 g is 353 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 21, 14 g;
- Fats - 28, 99 g;
- Carbohydrates - 1, 8 g.
100 g of the product contains vitamins useful for humans (A, B, D, E, C, PP) and minerals (Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Phosphorus, Sodium, Zinc, etc.).
The historical homeland of cheese is considered to be the vicinity of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Useful properties of Vieux Boulogne cheese
Vieux Boulogne cheese contains a large amount of saturated fat, which are vital for the human body. Lack of fat in our daily diet can negatively affect the condition of our hair, skin, vision and hormones. To get the most out of high-calorie cheese, eat it in reasonable amounts.
Vieux Boulogne, like all dairy products made from cow's milk, contains a large amount of calcium. This element strengthens the structure of human inert tissues.
The benefits of Vieux Boulogne cheese lie in the following properties of the product:
- It quickly saturates the body with energy: to satisfy hunger, it is enough to eat just a few slices of Vieux Boulogne. The product has a high calorie content. Although many claim that the appetite is lost not because of the nutritional value of the cheese, but because of its unpleasant smell.
- Optimizes the functioning of the circulatory system due to the high content of saturated fats and minerals.
- Stabilizes the work of the nervous system - vitamins of group B take part in this process.
- Prevents pressure surges: Due to the special composition of nutrients, cheese can prevent high blood pressure. Also, the product saturates the blood with hemoglobin.
- Normalizes digestion, maintains normal intestinal and stomach microflora with useful amino acids and enzymes.
- Takes part in increasing muscle mass: cow's milk cheese is recommended for everyone who wants to build muscle and play sports. This product will not interfere with manual workers.
On a note! Store Vieux Boulogne sealed or wrapped in wax paper. Like other food items, it is best to store it in the refrigerator.
Contraindications and harm of Vieux Boulogne cheese
The harm of Vieux Boulogne cheese lies in its high calorie content. You should only eat a few slices of cheese to get the best out of it. Forgetting about such restrictions, a person can face a lot of problems - a deterioration in the functioning of the heart and other internal organs.
Cheese also becomes dangerous for the consumer due to its high salt content. Excessive consumption of salty foods leads to the accumulation of excess fluid in the body, weight gain and problems with blood pressure.
Pediatricians advise against feeding Vieux Boulogne cheese to children under the age of 1 year. Given the peculiarities of the aroma of this product, it is easy to guess that they will refuse to use it on their own.
People suffering from acute gastrointestinal diseases should limit the amount of cheese they eat.
Allergy sufferers who have been diagnosed with pathological intolerance to lactic enzymes should completely abandon Vieux Boulogne.
Read more about the dangers of Vieux Pane cheese
Vieux Boulogne recipes
In traditional French cuisine, Vieux Boulogne is used to prepare cold snacks, all kinds of sandwiches and canapes. Cheese with a specific smell is served paired with white wine or dark beer.
If you have a piece of "stinky" cheese, you can make a delicious dish from it that will appeal to both adults and children. Here are some recipes for such treats for cooking in your home kitchen:
- Cheese pizza … After cooking and paired with other ingredients, the Vieux Boulogne cheese will lose some of its sharp aroma. Therefore, making pizza is the best option for anyone who doesn't like the smell of French cheese. You can knead the dough yourself or use a food processor. Mix 2 tbsp. sifted wheat flour with 10 g of fresh yeast. Grind the resulting mass into coarse crumbs. Season the dough with a little salt and sugar. Add 8 tbsp to it. l. water and 2 tbsp. l. olive oil. Knead the dough thoroughly and leave to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes. Take care of the stuffing. Mash 30 g of butter in a bowl. Add to it 2 cloves of garlic, crushed in a mortar, and a few finely chopped basil sprigs (to taste). Grate 300 g of Vieux Boulogne cheese. Divide the dough, which has already increased in volume, into 2 equal parts. At this point in the preparation of the pizza, turn on the oven and place a baking sheet in it to heat it up. Now roll each piece of dough into a thin layer and place the filling on top of it. Bake the pizza in the oven for no more than 10-15 minutes. It is important that the dish is slightly browned, but not burnt. Bon Appetit!
- Canapes in the form of boats … Serve on skewers if you don't want to muffle the bright aroma of French cheese. An appetizer can be prepared in just 5 minutes! Cut small rectangles out of rye bread. Cut your favorite sausage and cucumber into thin slices that repeat the shape of the bread. Place all prepared ingredients on top of each other. Put thin slices of French cheese on the skewers so that they are shaped like sails. Pierce a stack of prepared ingredients with skewers - the edible boat is ready!
- Hearty sandwich … For 5 servings of this dish, boil 2 chicken eggs and make 5 slices of dark bread. Mix 40 g butter with 20 g processed cheese. Spread the resulting mass on the bread. Now put the filling on the sandwiches: thin slices of unripe tomatoes, Vieux Boulogne cheese, boiled eggs and sprigs of your favorite greens. Decorate the composition with a slice of lemon.
- Barbell Ham Sandwich … This dish will captivate your guests or household members not only with the unusual taste of cheese, but also with its original form. You can use a cheese stick or other ingredient of your choice as the basis for the barbell. We will put on the barbell "pancakes" made of bread, cheese and sausage. To do this, cut the listed ingredients into a circle and punch holes in them. The order of layers for one "pancake": bread, a rather thick piece of cooked sausage, a thin circle of cheese and again bread.
Interesting facts about Vieux Boulogne cheese
As mentioned earlier, in France, Vieux Boulogne is known as the cheese with the most unpleasant odor. In 2004, scientists from a British university conducted an official study, during which it was revealed that Vieux Boulogne has the most disgusting smell in comparison with other 15 types of French and British cheeses.
A few years later, the unusual study was re-organized. This time, the level of stench of the cheeses was determined by means of an electronic nose. As a result of the experiment, scientists again came to the conclusion that Vieux Boulogne really has the most unpleasant odor.
Vieux Boulogne got into another rating thanks to its unusual scent. This time the scientific research was carried out in the USA. Experts have set themselves the task of finding out that the planet Earth has the most unpleasant odor for humans.
Also read interesting facts about Bleu de Bresse cheese
The five most "smelly" nominees are:
- Rotten eggs - give off a pungent smell of hydrogen sulfide;
- Durian fruit - combines the smell of caramel and rotten eggs;
- Rafflesia Arnold Flower - produces a cadaverous smell with rot, reminiscent of spoiled fish;
- French cheese Vieux Boulogne - gives off the aroma of rotten food, but has a pleasant mild taste;
- Small anteater - scares away predators with its own stench.
Watch the video about Vieux Boulogne cheese:
Vieux Boulogne is the foul-smelling cheese on the planet. Despite such an original aroma, the product is actively produced in France and is popular with cheese gourmets.
