SearchA recent newspaper report tells how wild boars, foraging in Alsace, France pastures are ruining the land for the cows that produce the milk for Munster cheese.
Munster cheese if a soft, washed rind cheese famous for its strong, some say pungent, smell. The origins of this famously stinky French cheese date back to the 7th century when Irish monks settled in the Munster Valley of Alsace and started breeding milk cows to provide food for the local people.
The cheese is traditionally made by rubbing it in a brine which helps grow bacteria. This process seals the rind, prevents mold but also provides the powerful aroma and flavor. The wheels of cheese are washed and brushed daily and allowed to mature. In the olden days, the cheese was matured in the monks’ damp cellars.
Experts say that the best Munster cheese is made from pastures in the Vosges Mountains that have been mowed for midsummer hay.
Strict rules apply to the making of Munster cheese. Most of the cow fodder must come from local farms in the area but local boars have a different idea. Boars forage for acorns, underground grubs and roots and have dug up about 60% of these pastures on 43 farms.
The Munster cheese production is threatened because the damage to pasture land means grass cannot grow and is often contaminated by droppings.
The quality of the cow’s milk in the area has suffered and the local farmers are asking for hunters to come and reduce the boar population.
In 2004, a scientific study at Cranfield University in England ranked a cheese called Vieux Boulogne as the worlds’ smelliest. The smell was described as “unwashed feet and unwashed tom cat.”
