Pont-l’Evêque Cheese. JPC-PROD / Getty Images via Canva Pro
Pont-l’Evêque is a washed-rind, Camembert-style cheese made in Normandy, France.
The rind has white mould on it, with orangish-brown patches.
Inside, the cheese is soft and pale yellow with a fine texture. The cheese is quite whiffy.
It comes in 3 square-shaped sizes: petit, demi and grand. The demi is 3 cm thick (1 inch), 11 cm long (4 ⅓ inches) and weighs 400 g (14 oz.).
Production
Pont-l’Evêque cheese is made from raw milk from cows. It takes 3 litres (3 US quarts) of milk to make 400 g (14 oz.) of the cheese.
The milk is heated and rennet added. The curd is cut, kneaded, and put into moulds. It is let stand to drain, and turned frequently during 5 days of maturing.
The cheese is salted then washed, then matured further for up to 6 weeks, being turned during that time.
Most Pont-l’Evêque Cheese is factory made today. Various makers include Bisson et fils, Lanquetôt, Lepeudry, and Levasseur.
Pont-l’Evêque Cheese is often made by the same producers who make Pavé d’Auge Cheese.
Pont-l’Evêque Cheese. Lagric / wikimedia / 2012 / CC BY-SA 3.0
Nutrition
45% fat content.
History Notes
Pont-l’Evêque Cheese has reputedly been made for hundreds of years. Some equate it with a cheese made in the 1100s called “angelot“. It has been known as Pont l’Evêque since the 1600s.
The cheese received its French AOC in 1976.