Tête de Moine

1. History

The Tête de Moine, or Fromage de Bellelay, originates from Bellelay Abbey in the 12th century, with records from 1192 showing it used as currency, rent payment, and gifts to prince-bishops.The monks produced it to preserve milk, and the name "Tête de Moine" emerged late 18th century, possibly referring to monks' tonsures or cheese stored per monk's head.

Post-French Revolution in 1797, production continued in abbey farms, and in the 19th century, A. Hofstetter boosted its fame with awards in Paris in 1856 and other exhibitions.

2. Physical characteristics

Tête de Moine is a cooked pressed curd cow's milk cheese, formed into small cylindrical wheels 10-20 cm in diameter and 6-8 cm high, weighing 0.8-1 kg.

Its rind is thin, brownish to orange, slightly rough, with a compact ivory to golden paste featuring few small holes. It is traditionally shaved into rosettes using a girolle to enhance aromas.

3. Taste profile

The flavor is bold, very fruity and bouquet-like, with nutty, herbaceous, and mildly spicy notes from Jura pastures. It offers a creamy, lingering mouthfeel.

Aromas intensify with aging, revealing subtle floral and animal hints. Shaving rather than cutting maximizes flavor development.

4. Production zone and period

Produced exclusively in Swiss Jura, around Bellelay in the cantons of Jura, Bern, and Neuchâtel, from raw cow's milk of cows grazing high pastures from spring to autumn.

Production is year-round, but optimal with summer alpine milk. Cows graze aromatic Jura herbs.

5. Certification

Tête de Moine has AOP status since 2001, ensuring origin and traditional methods in the defined area.

This designation protects the name "Tête de Moine, Fromage de Bellelay" with strict standards, including traditional scraping.