Limburger

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Limburg cheese with bread

Limburger (named after the former Duchy of Limburg , also Herve or Remoudou ) is a cheese made from raw or pasteurized cow's milk with a fat content of 20% to 60% in the dry matter and a soft red smear rind, which originally came from the old Duchy of Limburg. It is considered to be one of the strongest smelling cheeses and is often rejected as “ smelly cheese ”. His lovers appreciate the very aromatic and spicy taste.

history

It was first made by monks in the monasteries of what was then the Duchy of Limburg , which is why it is known in Belgium under the name Fromage de Herve . Since 1830, when Carl Hirnbein started producing soft cheese in Missen-Wilhams , it has been made by German cheesemakers, especially in the Allgäu . There it is also called brick cheese or brick because it has the shape of a brick. There is a strong similarity to Romadur .

Manufacturing

At the beginning and during the ripening period, which lasts between two weeks and a maximum of three months, the cheese wheels are lubricated with liquids that contain red smear bacteria, especially Brevibacterium linens . Colonization with the red smear bacteria gives the cheese an orange to reddish brown, elastic surface that is slightly sticky and gritty and grainy. The ripe, firm red smear soft cheese is characterized by its intense smell and taste, which is the result of the development of the “red smear”.

Trade and use

The Belgian Limburger is a protected product as “Fromage de Herve” and (since 1996) the only Belgian cheese with a protected designation of origin (PDO) . Variants from other regions exist under the name Limburger.

The cream-colored cheese with reddish-brown rind and sometimes hints of white mold is sold in square bars of 200 g and 500 g and tastes quite mild when young, but always stronger when fully matured. The dough is light yellow and has a matt sheen, soft, but firm. Ripe Limburger is elastic and soft, but not flowing, and has small, irregular holes. Limburger with greasy rind and shrunken dough has exceeded the optimal degree of ripeness and is not recommended.

Limburger is consumed in several varieties in the Allgäu and Upper Swabia ,

Whole grain bread like pumpernickel and raw onions go well with Limburgers . Beer, cider and cider or a wine full of character are recommended as an accompanying drink.

Limburger as a defense against malaria infection

The anthropophilic mosquitoes of the species Anopheles gambiae , which are among the most dangerous carriers of malaria in the tropics , find their hosts primarily by recognizing the CO 2 excretion in the breath. When there is no wind, they prefer to sting in areas of the soles of the feet and ankles. These are those parts of the human body in which bacteria of the Brevibacterium epidermis species produce short-chain fatty acids with the characteristic “cheese smell”. However, the mosquitoes are also attracted by the products of the closely related Br. Linens , which are responsible for the characteristic smell of Limburgers. Mosquito traps based on Limburger odorous substances have therefore been developed, which keep the number of bites lower.

Cultural reception

In the humorous short story The story of a disability of Mark Twain to the smell of Limburger cheese is the basis for action.

In their 1979 hit “Dance This Mess Around”, the B-52s sing : “Why don't you dance with me? I'm not no Limburger ".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ sweat. In: Quarks & Co , WDR.de (PDF; 924.65 kB). P. 24
  2. ^ Limburger Cheese as an Attractant for the Malaria Mosquito Anopheles. In: Parasitology Today. 1996, pp. 159-161; Jay Keystone: Of Bites and Body odor. In: The Lancet . May 25, 1996, p. 1423
  3. ^ Mark Twain : The story of an invalid in the project Gutenberg-DE

Web links

Commons : Limburger  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files