Affidelice (AH-fee-deliss) is famous for its pungent aroma and sticky terracotta-coloured rind. The underlying paste has a smooth, velvety texture with a meaty flavour that melts in the mouth. During maturation, Affidelice is washed in chablis (a local Chardonnay), mixed with salty water, several times per week. It tastes milder than the aroma suggests, and has a decidedly sweet finish.
A little history about Affidelice
This cheese was made from the same recipe as Epoisses, the main difference is that Affidelice is washed with Chablis compared to Epoisses washed with Marc de bourgogne.
Epoisses was created by Cistercian monks in the early 16th century in the village of Époisses, in Burgundy. On fast days, the monks were forbidden meat and on Fridays they ate fish. Washed rind cheeses became an important part of their diet as they had strong, meaty flavours. Époisses cheese was very popular for several hundred years, and when the monks departed they passed on the production secrets to the local population. In the early 20th Century, however, the cheese virtually disappeared, but it was revived by Robert & Simone Berthaut, of Fromagerie Berthaut, in the 1950s.
