Münster Fermier comes from the Alsace region in France. This cheese is protected by an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. It is made from unpasteurized cow's milk and is matured in humid caves during five weeks for the smaller formats (300g) and up to 2 to 3 months for the larger ones (1500 g). During this period the rind is periodically washed with brine. This moisture helps the development of the bacteria that will give this cheese its particular taste and color. The cheese is at its best during summer and autumn, when it is made from the milk from the haute chaumes ("high stubble") of pastures that have already been mown for midsummer hay in the Vosges. The best cheeses come from the haute vallée de Munster itself, but this cheese is also made in Lapoutroie, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Villé, and other villages. Capital Strasbourg Area 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller Population  - 2004 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density 1,793,000 1,734,145 209/km² Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 903 Départements Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Alsace ( French: Alsace; Alsatian/ German: Elsaß) is a région of France. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the curdled milk of various animals—most commonly cows but sometimes goats, sheep, reindeer, and water buffalo. ... The French designation Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée (AOC), roughly translated to term of origin, is a certification granted to certain French wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products by a government bureau known as the Institut National des Appellations dOrigine (INAO). ... Cows at a small farm in Maryland. ... A glass of milk Milk most often means the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals. ... A Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (better known by the recursive acronym CAVE) is an immersive virtual reality environment where projectors are directed to four, five or six of the walls of a room-sized cube. ... Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. ... Vosges is a French département, named after the Vosges mountain range. ...

This round cheese with a fat content of 45% in dry matter, has a diameter between 12 and 20 cm, and a thickness between 3 to 5 cm. Normally it is sold unwrapped on a straw bed, but for export it may be wrapped in cristalpaper or plastic. The cheese should have a slick and shiny crust of a brick colour, a semi-soft dough, a very strong and penetrating odour and a really strong taste. Defects : unripend dough (crumbly), broken crust, too salty or too old and overdone.

This cheese is usually eaten as dessert. It goes well with a Gewürstraminer when young or strong red wines when more matured (Côte-Rôties, Corton, Haut-Médoc, Pinot rouge d'Alsace).

There is also an industrial Münster (not protected by an AOC) made from pasteurized milk, which is a lot cheaper but this cheese will never develop the goût du terroir (" local flavour") that is so sought after by the real amateurs.

The name "Münster" comes from the city of Munster where the cheese was developed by the monks, and refers to the Latin monasterium (monastery). Munster is a commune in the Haut-Rhin département, Alsace, France. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ...