{{Short description|French hard cheese}} {{Infobox cheese | name = Mimolette | image = File:A Mimolette on the desk.jpg | othernames = | country = France | town = Nord, Lille | region = | source = Cows | pasteurized = Yes | texture = Hard | fat = | protein = | dimensions = | weight = | aging = 2 months – 2 years | certification = }} '''Mimolette''' ({{IPA|fr|mimɔlɛt|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Poslovitch-mimolette.wav}}) is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France it is also known as ''Boule de Lille'' after its city of origin,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mimolette (ou Boule de Lille)|url=https://www.leguidedufromage.com/mimolette-ou-boule-de-lille-io272.html|access-date=2021-04-24|website=Le Guide du Fromage|language=fr}}</ref> or ''vieux Hollande'' because it was originally inspired by the Dutch Edam cheese.<ref name="Michelson-2010" />
==Description== Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a cantaloupe melon.<ref name="Dhooria-2016" /> It normally weighs about 2 kg (approximately 4.5 pounds) and is made from pasteurized cow's milk. Its name comes from the French word {{Lang|fr|mi-mou}} (feminine {{Lang|fr|mi-molle}}), meaning "semi-soft", which refers to the oily texture of this otherwise hard cheese.<ref name="The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club">{{Cite web|title=Mimolette|url=https://www.cheesemonthclub.com/mimolette|access-date=2021-04-24|website=The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club|language=en}}</ref> The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning annatto.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Karlin|first1=M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMzLELu0qawC&pg=PA91|title=Artisan Cheese Making at Home: Techniques & Recipes for Mastering World-Class Cheeses [A Cookbook]|last2=Anderson|first2=E.|last3=Reinhart|first3=P.|publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed|year=2011|isbn=978-1-60774-044-5|page=91|access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref> When used in small amounts, primarily as a food colorant, annatto adds no discernible flavor<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lynch|first1=B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVmXBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|title=Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition|last2=Smart|first2=J.|last3=Jones|first3=D.|publisher=HMH Books|year=2019|isbn=978-0-547-41736-3|page=165|access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref> or aroma. The grey-colored rind of aged Mimolette occurs from cheese mites that are added to the surface of the cheese, which serve to enhance its flavor.<ref name="Dhooria-2016" />
Mimolette can be consumed at different stages of aging. When younger, its taste resembles that of Parmesan.<ref name="The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club" /> Many appreciate it most when it is "extra-old" (''extra-vieille'').<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-02-12|title=Mimolette Cheese, It's Illegal, Not Immoral, And It Might Make You Fat|url=https://triedandsupplied.com/saucydressings/mimolette-cheese/|access-date=2021-04-24|website=Tried & Supplied|language=en-GB|archive-date=2021-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427231743/https://triedandsupplied.com/saucydressings/mimolette-cheese/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At that point, it can become rather hard to chew, and the flesh takes on a hazelnut-like flavor.
==History== It was originally made by the request of Louis XIV, who – in the context of Jean-Baptiste Colbert's mercantilistic policies – was looking for a native French product to replace the then very popular Edam.<ref name="Michelson-2010" /> To make it distinct from Edam, it was first colored using carrot juice and later seasoned with annatto to give it a distinct orange color.<ref name="Michelson-2010" /> It was then known as ''vieux Hollande ''or'' boule de Lille''. The modern name only appeared in the 20th century, referring to the cheese's semi-soft, semi-hard texture when young.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mazzini |first=Elora |title=La Mimolette |journal=Fromages |issue=2 |date=Winter 2023 |pages=20–23 |language=fr}}</ref>
Farmers from the original region gradually abandoned the production of this cheese, until it was revived elsewhere in France by three industrial cheesemakers: Lactalis in Bouvron, the Isigny-Sainte-Mère cooperative in Manche, and Savencia in Somme. The cheese is now pasteurized. In the 2010s, some artisanal farm production re-emerged.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coulon |first=Pierre |title=Le bon savoir du fromage |publisher=First Éditions |year=2022 |isbn=978-2-412-08496-0 |page=80 |url=https://www.google.fr/books/edition/Le_bon_savoir_du_fromage/L9uYEAAAQBAJ?hl=fr&gbpv=1&pg=PA80 |language=fr}}</ref>
The cheese was known to be a favorite of French President Charles de Gaulle.<ref name="Donnelly-2016" />
==Health concerns in the U.S.== In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration detained about a ton of the cheese, putting further imports to the United States on hold. This was because the cheese mites could cause an allergic reaction<ref name="Dhooria-2016"/> if consumed in large quantities. The FDA stated that the cheese was above the standard of six mites per cubic inch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://m.sfgate.com/food/cheesecourse/article/Mimolette-imports-on-hold-4926637.php|title=Mimolette imports on hold|website=SFGate|date=25 October 2013 |access-date=2016-05-19}}</ref> The restriction was lifted in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://yummybazaar.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-mimolette-cheese|title=A guide to Mimolette cheese}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
Mimolette is the name of the mouse in the animated children's television series ''Gideon'' (by Michel Ocelot), broadcast in France in the mid-1970s.
==See also== {{portal|Food}} * List of cheeses * Milbenkäse * Casu marzu * Cuisine and specialties of Nord-Pas-de-Calais
== References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Michelson-2010">{{cite book | last=Michelson | first=P. | title=Cheese: Exploring Taste and Tradition | publisher=Gibbs Smith | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4236-0651-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oD1Z9v4mwdYC&pg=PT29 | access-date=27 December 2019 | page=pt29}}</ref> <ref name="Donnelly-2016">{{cite book | last1=Donnelly | first1=C. | last2=Kehler | first2=M. | title=The Oxford Companion to Cheese | publisher=Oxford University Press | series=Oxford Companions | year=2016 | isbn=978-0-19-933090-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRrGDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA483 | access-date=27 December 2019 | page=483}}</ref> <ref name="Dhooria-2016">{{cite book | last=Dhooria | first=M.S. | title=Fundamentals of Applied Acarology | publisher=Springer Singapore | year=2016 | isbn=978-981-10-1594-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ktS4DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA455 | access-date=10 April 2021 | page=455}}</ref> }}
==External links== *{{Commons-inline}}
{{French cheeses}}
Category:French cheeses Category:Cow's-milk cheeses Category:Mites as food Category:Lille
{{France-cheese-stub}}