French cheese – Banon
Banon comes from northern Provence. It is a very old cheese, maybe from the Gallo-Roman era. Legend has it that the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius ate so much of Banon that he died”. In order to keep the cheese fresh for the long wintertime, it is wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia or straw. Mostly a goat’s milk cheese, Banon also has a small amount of cow’s milk blended into. The cheese is generously salted and pre-matures for 1 or 2 weeks. Banon is washed with a local eau-de-vie (Marc) and wrapped in chestnut leaves. Banon is creamy with a full fruity and woody flavour. The cheese is best after having ripened for a few weeks. Ripening can result in a small amount of edible blue mold under the wrapper. This mold helps to develop the flavour of the cheese. Banon goes well with fresh fruits
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