Tête de Moine AOP, literally monk’s head, is a cylindrical, smeared semi-hard, unpasteurised cheese weighing around 800 grams. It boasts a very fine consistency, which melts in the mouth. It isn’t cut; instead, it is scraped into fine rosettes using a girolle cheese curler or similar tool. By scraping the cheese, the area of the cheese that comes into contact with the air increases. This changes the structure of the cheese and allows the aromatic, gently melting flavour to develop to its fullest. Even the monks in the Bellalay monastery in the Bern town of Jura used to scrape their Tête de Moine AOP with this superior knife. According to tradition, the cheese was used by the monks as currency back in the 12th century.

The crowning glory on any cheeseboard

The natural mountain milk lends the Tête de Moine AOP its distinctive flavour. It is produced in line with the strict specifications of the AOP product specification in less than 10 village creameries in its region of origin; and then matured on spruce wood boards for at least two and a half months. 
Cheese connoisseurs recognise the Tête de Moine AOP as the crowning glory on a cheeseboard; perfect with an aperitif, as a dessert or as a snack. To make the best rosettes, scrape Tête de Moine as soon as it has been removed from the fridge.
 
Tête de Moine AOP, Fromage de Bellelay is a cylindrical, smeared semi-hard cheese made from silage-free milk. The product, which is matured for at least 2.5 months, owes its strong, unique flavour to the rich grass upon which the cattle feed and is a typical product of its “terroir”. It has an exceptionally fine consistency thanks to its 800-year-old recipe.