For the last two months my consolidator (the person in Rungis, France who gathers my cheese from different producers around that country for my delivery) has not been sending me my Reblochon. I figured it was one of those "production problems" so frequently bandied as an excuse for missed shipments.
One of our interns popped his head into my office three weeks ago and said, "Hey, did you hear? There's something wrong with Reblochon! A friend of mine at a cheese shop told me."
Horrified that it had taken me so long to even question Reblochon's absence, I called my consolidator. "What's the story?" I asked.
Turns out nothing is wrong with the cheese. Reblochon is as wonderful as ever. But the French State Veterinary Services have recently refused to approve Reblochon exports to the US. Seems that raw milk Reblochon (it must be, as defined by the AOC), when it arrives at Rungis to be consolidated, isn't actually 60 days old. The Authority, possibly under pressure from the government, is no longer allowing these sub-60 day products to be exported.
There are some importers who still are able to get Reblochon. That's who I am buying my cheese from right now.
One of the largest cooperatives is considering a pasteurized product to get around this quasi-ban. Pasteurized Reblochon? I rue the day.
Posted by Wade at June 8, 2004 06:24 AM | TrackBack