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Summary: Exploring French Jura Cheeses

This video takes viewers on a captivating journey through the Jura Mountains of France’s Franche-Comté region, a land renowned for its natural beauty and, more importantly, its exceptional cheeses. The region’s lush landscapes and rich history are intimately tied to the production of some of France’s most famous raw milk cheeses.

The Jura Mountains and Their Dairy Cows

The Jura Mountains, with their cool, clean air and abundant pastures, provide the perfect environment for dairy farming. The video highlights the importance of the Montbéliarde cows, whose rich alpine milk is exclusively used for cheeses like Comté. These gentle beasts, often treated like family, graze freely, contributing to the unique flavor profiles of the region’s dairy products. Farms in this harsh winter region typically maintain smaller herds of less than 40 cows.

Comté: A French AOC Gem

Comté, a raw milk cheese, is showcased as the most important cheese produced under the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system due to its volume and strict production controls. Made in large, crusty wheels weighing up to 30 kilos, Comté features a smooth, ivory interior with a sweet, nutty, and condensed flavor. Its large size historically helped preserve the cheese through harsh mountain winters. Every step, from the Montbéliarde milk to the final product, is meticulously controlled to ensure its distinguished reputation.

Traditional Cheese-Making Process

The video details the traditional Comté production process, emphasizing the use of only fresh raw milk collected daily and processed in small dairies or “fruitières.” It describes the cutting of curds, pressing into hoops, and the initial maturation in dedicated areas where young cheeses are regularly flipped and salted. This ensures the formation of a thin rind and proper firming before further ripening.

Ripening and Quality Control

The final, crucial stage of cheese production is ripening, handled by expert “affineurs” in massive maturation facilities, many located in the department of Doubs. These cellars house thousands of cheese wheels, with humidity carefully controlled to prevent cracking. Each cheese is branded and undergoes specific temperature stages, from warmer environments for fermentation to cooler rooms for slower maturation. This rigorous process culminates in high-quality Comté, often graded by experts like Claude, the head affineur, for its rind condition, texture, and flavor profile.

Vocabulary Table

Term	Pronunciation	Definition	Used in sentence
Jura Mountains	/ˈdʒʊərə ˈmaʊntɪnz/	A mountain range in France and Switzerland, known for its natural beauty and cheese production.	the Jura Mountains of the Franché region in France are as good as it gets.
Franche-Comté	/frɑːʃ kɒmˈteɪ/	A historical and administrative region of eastern France, known for its cheeses.	the Jura Mountains of the Franche-Comté region in France.
Comté	/kɔ̃ˈteɪ/	A French AOC raw milk cheese, produced in the Franche-Comté region.	the best grier you can buy is compeit raw milk cheese.
AOC	/eɪ oʊ siː/	Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, a French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, and other agricultural products.	the French Appalachion system.
Montbéliarde cows	/mɒntˈbeɪliˌɑːrd kaʊz/	A breed of dairy cattle originating in the Montbéliard region of France, known for producing high-quality milk.	the rich alpine milk of mongellian cows.
rind	/raɪnd/	The tough outer layer of certain foods, especially cheese.	Protected by a thick brown natural rind.
curds	/kɜːrdz/	The solid part of milk that separates from the whey during cheesemaking.	When the kurd is judge ready, the cheese maker begins the process of cutting the curds.
whey	/weɪ/	The watery part of milk that remains after the formation of curds.	The curds and way are pumped into large hoops.
maturation	/ˌmætʃəˈreɪʃən/	The process of ripening or developing over time, especially for cheese.	Each dairy has a small maturation area.
affineurs	/æfɪˈnɜːrz/	Specialists in cheese ripening and aging.	This skilled job is undertaken by aphineurs.

Vocabulary Flashcards

While-viewing Tasks

Complete these tasks while watching the video:

Guided Notes

Fill in the key information as you watch:

The Jura Mountains are located in the region of France.
The forests were historically used as fuel by local .
Comté is a raw milk cheese made using the milk of cows.
Each Comté cheese wheel can weigh up to .
The AOC system guarantees the of a cheese.

Questions to Answer

Answer the following questions after watching the relevant parts of the video:

How did Comté cheese’s large wheel size originate?
Describe the process of “salting” young Comté cheeses.
What role do “affineurs” play in the cheese maturation process?

Checklist

Check off these items as you observe them in the video:

Cows grazing in the Jura pastures.
Cheese being cut into rice-sized curds.
Thousands of cheese wheels stacked in a maturation cellar.

Embedded Video:

Fill in the Blanks Exercise

1. The Jura Mountains are in the region of France.

2. The forests were used as by local cheese makers.

3. Comté is a raw milk cheese made using the rich alpine milk of cows.

4. Each Comté cheese is made in large crusty weighing up to 30 kilos.

5. The interior of Comté cheese should be smooth and colored.

6. Comté is the most important of all cheeses made under the French system.

7. The milk is pumped into large vats.

8. Nowadays, cutting the curds is almost entirely .

9. Each dairy has a small area where young cheeses are stored.

10. are specialists in cheese ripening and aging.

Extension Activities

Choose from these activities to extend your learning:

Research French AOC System

Research the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system for cheeses in more detail. What are its benefits, and what other famous French cheeses are protected by this system?

Difficulty:
Medium

Geography of Cheese

Using a map, locate the Jura Mountains and the Franche-Comté region in France. Identify other European regions famous for cheese production and mark them on your map. What geographical factors contribute to their success?

Difficulty:
Easy

Cheese Tasting and Review

Work with a partner to organize a small cheese tasting (if feasible and safe). Choose two or three different types of cheese, describe their characteristics (smell, texture, taste), and discuss your preferences. Create a short review for each cheese.