# Mimolette > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mimolette > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mimolette.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimolette > Source revision: 1312591601 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|French hard cheese}} {{Infobox cheese | name = Mimolette | image = File:A Mimolette on the desk.jpg | othernames = | country = [France](/source/France) | town = [Nord](/source/Nord_(d%C3%A9partement)), [Lille](/source/Lille) | region = | source = [Cow](/source/Cattle)s | 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](/source/cheese) traditionally produced around the city of [Lille](/source/Lille), [France](/source/France). In France it is also known as ''Boule de Lille'' after its city of origin,{{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}} or ''vieux Hollande'' because it was originally inspired by the Dutch [Edam](/source/Edam_(cheese)) cheese. ==Description== Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a [cantaloupe](/source/cantaloupe) melon. 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.{{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}} The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning [annatto](/source/annatto).{{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}} When used in small amounts, primarily as a food colorant, annatto adds no discernible flavor{{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}} or aroma. The grey-colored rind of aged Mimolette occurs from [cheese mites](/source/cheese_mites) that are added to the surface of the cheese, which serve to enhance its flavor. Mimolette can be consumed at different stages of aging. When younger, its taste resembles that of [Parmesan](/source/Parmigiano-Reggiano). Many appreciate it most when it is "extra-old" (''extra-vieille'').{{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}} 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](/source/Louis_XIV), who – in the context of [Jean-Baptiste Colbert](/source/Jean-Baptiste_Colbert)'s [mercantilistic](/source/mercantilism) policies – was looking for a native French product to replace the then very popular [Edam](/source/Edam_(cheese)). To make it distinct from Edam, it was first colored using [carrot juice](/source/carrot_juice) and later seasoned with [annatto](/source/annatto) to give it a distinct orange color. 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.{{cite journal |last=Mazzini |first=Elora |title=La Mimolette |journal=Fromages |issue=2 |date=Winter 2023 |pages=20–23 |language=fr}} Farmers from the original region gradually abandoned the production of this cheese, until it was revived elsewhere in France by three industrial cheesemakers: [Lactalis](/source/Lactalis) in [Bouvron](/source/Bouvron%2C_Loire-Atlantique), the Isigny-Sainte-Mère cooperative in [Manche](/source/Manche), and [Savencia](/source/Savencia_Fromage_%26_Dairy) in [Somme](/source/Somme_(department)). The cheese is now pasteurized. In the 2010s, some artisanal farm production re-emerged.{{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}} The cheese was known to be a favorite of French President [Charles de Gaulle](/source/Charles_de_Gaulle). ==Health concerns in the U.S.== In 2013, the [Food and Drug Administration](/source/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 mite](/source/cheese_mite)s could cause an allergic reaction if consumed in large quantities. The FDA stated that the cheese was above the standard of six mites per cubic inch.{{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}} The restriction was lifted in 2014.{{cite web|url=https://yummybazaar.com/blogs/blog/a-guide-to-mimolette-cheese|title=A guide to Mimolette cheese}} ==In popular culture== Mimolette is the name of the mouse in the animated children's television series ''[Gideon](/source/Gideon_(TV_series))'' (by [Michel Ocelot](/source/Michel_Ocelot)), broadcast in France in the mid-1970s. ==See also== {{portal|Food}} * [List of cheeses](/source/List_of_cheeses) * [Milbenkäse](/source/Milbenk%C3%A4se) * [Casu marzu](/source/Casu_marzu) * [Cuisine and specialties of Nord-Pas-de-Calais](/source/Cuisine_and_specialties_of_Nord-Pas-de-Calais) == References == {{Reflist|refs= {{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}} {{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}} {{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}} }} ==External links== *{{Commons-inline}} {{French cheeses}} Category:French cheeses Category:Cow's-milk cheeses Category:Mites as food Category:Lille {{France-cheese-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mimolette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimolette) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimolette?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.