Culture & Gastronomy Published on 30/03/2021
Among our local products, the blue cheese of Gex is at the top of the list. This cheese, whose origins date back to the 13th century, is a blue-veined cheese made from the raw milk of Montbéliard cows. And it takes no less than a dozen steps to make a wheel of cheese weighing 6 to 9 kg: from the pouring of the milk to the maturing process, including curdling, molding, salting, turning and pricking. A job that requires strength and dexterity.
Then, you have to wait 21 days to be able to taste it!
A PDO cheese for 25 years !
Bleu de Gex Haut-Jura has been a Protected Designation of Origin since 1996. The specifications are very precise and must be scrupulously respected by the 4 workshops that make this cheese and that ensure an annual production of about 550 tons.
There are 10 key points to respect. We have selected two of them for you:
- The word “Gex” is obligatorily molded in the hollow during the manufacturing process.
- The white to ivory colored paste is marbled with pale blue-green molds, well distributed throughout the mass. It is soft and very slightly crumbly. Its taste is mild, light, with a hint of salt and bitterness. Bleu de Gex develops milky, slightly vanilla or spicy-fresh aromas, mixed with notes of mushroom.
The last cheese factory in the Pays de Gex
In the Pays de Gex, there is only one workshop left: the Abbaye cheese factory located in Chézery-Forens, in the Valserine valley. This cooperative also produces Comté, Tomme de l’Ain, butter, cream and white cheeses. And it is of course possible to buy milk.
The abbey’s Bleu de Gex has won several awards: at the interprofessional competition of Bleu de Gex (gold medal in 2017 and 2018, bronze medal in 2019) and at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris (bronze medal in 2016 and 2018).
Normally, the cheese factory has a visiting gallery from which you can see the making of the cheese in the morning. A video is also available to visitors in this gallery.
To prepare your dishes
What we love about Bleu de Gex is the tasting! So here are some recipe suggestions just for you!
Bleu de Gex in its simplest form, as a raclette!
We always think of buying traditional raclette, but why not let yourself be tempted by Bleu de Gex? It melts very well and it’s also excellent! Put the melted tench on firm potatoes steam-cooked and accompany with traditional charcuterie from Lélex (dried meat from Lélex, sausage, dry sausage, white ham) and small onions in vinegar…. you can tell me all about it! And if you want to give a little lightness to your dish, serve with small vegetables (blanched cauliflower and raw mushrooms).
After the raclette, another winter staple: the fondue!
Purists will appreciate the 100% Gex blue cheese fondue but you can also prepare a half and half fondue: 50% Gex blue cheese and 50% Comté cheese. All you have to do is dip your piece of bread (a little stale) in the fondue pot. A salad, a few slices of local charcuterie and a glass of organic white wine from Challex will complete your Gessian fondue!
Cheese goes very well with raw vegetables: here is the local salad.
Nothing could be simpler, just mix all the ingredients: salad, diced blue cheese, tomatoes, eggs, nuts, smoked ham, … and serve with a walnut oil dressing. You can add your favorite vegetables to your Gessian salad, depending on the season.
Find other recipe ideas in the recipe booklet of the Bleu de Gex Brotherhood, on sale at the Pays de Gex Tourist Office (10 €) and on the website www.bleu-de-gex.com.
We suggest, after having enjoyed these good winter dishes, to go walking, snowshoeing or skiing to burn off the calories!
Où acheter votre bleu de Gex ?
On vous partage nos meilleures adresses !
- La fromagerie de l’abbaye à Chézery-Forens bien sûr ! Si vous n’habitez pas la région, vous pouvez commander via la boutique en ligne. Et vous faire livrer grâce à Chronofresh (non compris)
- La fromagerie Michelin à Ferney-Voltaire, Grilly et Segny
- Les 3 petits fermiers à Farges
- Sur les marchés : Ferney-Voltaire, Thoiry, Divonne-les-Bains
A vous de jouer !
En plus des recettes, Le syndicat Interprofessionnel du Bleu de Gex vous a concocté un quizz ! Alors saurez-vous répondre à toutes les questions ?
Le bleu de Gex, c’est bien d’en parler mais c’est mieux d’en manger !
