Dairy
Munster
Munster (Munster-Géromé) is a soft washed-rind cow’s-milk cheese of Alsace and Lorraine in eastern France, with a moist orange-to-red rind, creamy ivory paste, and a strong, savoury aroma that intensifies with age. It is moulded in small rounds, regularly washed in brine (sometimes with local spirits in tradition), and ripened until the centre is supple and the flavour full and tangy. It is a PDO cheese of the Vosges foothills, classically served with cumin or caraway and Alsatian wines or beer. Despite the similar name, it is distinct from American Muenster, which is a milder, differently made cheese.
Also known as: Munster-Géromé
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Characteristics
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Grading systems
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History
Benedictine monks near Munster in the Vosges are traditionally credited with early washed-rind cheese making in the valley.
Munster and Géromé styles from Alsace and Lorraine were traded as soft mountain and foothill cow’s-milk cheeses.
Appellation d’origine rules began protecting Munster-Géromé production methods and geography.
Munster-Géromé received Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in the European Union.
Fermier farmhouse Munster was promoted alongside industrial dairy production for stronger terroir expression.
Export and restaurant demand kept Alsatian Munster a flagship French washed-rind cheese.