Munster, also known as Munster Géromé is a soft washed rind cheese made from milk produced by cows living in the regions between Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté in France. The name Munster is derived from the little town of Munster where Vosgian abbeys and monasteries used to make this cheese since the Middle Ages.

Traditional Munster is protected by an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) which requires the cheese be made from unpasteurized cow's milk called crude milk. The soft and creamy cheese also comes flavored with cumin and tastes best when accompanied with a good beer. As with washed rind cheeses, Munster have a red coating on the rind that is slightly humid due to repeated washings. Other than protecting the cheese, the rind is also responsible for a strong, penetrating aroma and tangy taste.

The best Munster cheeses are produced in the summer and autumn when the cows graze on the 'high stubble' of the Vosges. This cheese has a very high fat content of 45-50%. Gewurztraminer or full-bodied red wines nicely complement Munster. If you're a potato and cheese lover try Munster with potatoes, salad and finely chopped onions.

• Made from cow's milk
• Country of origin: France
• Region: Vosges, Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin
• Alternative spellings: Munster-géromé, Munster gerome, Munster fermente
• Type: soft, smear-ripened
• Fat content: 45-50%
• Texture: creamy, smooth and sticky
• Rind: washed
• Color: white

Other French cheeses:

• hard cheeses: Ardi Gasna, Cantal, Crayeux de Roncq, Crottin de Chavignol, Etorki, Fourme de Montbrison, Fromage a Raclette, Laguiole, Lou Palou, Salers, Sancerre, Tomme Brulee
• semi-hard cheeses: Abbaye de Belloc, Abondance, Babybel, Brebis du Lavort, Cantal, Esbareich, Filetta, Fresh Truffles, Matocq, Mimolette (Boule de Lille), Pas de l'Escalette, Petit Pardou, Tomme de Romans, Tourmalet, Trappe (Veritable), Trou du Cru
• semi-soft cheeses: Abbaye de Citeaux, Abbaye du Mont des Cats, Aisy Cendre, Ambert, Ami du Chambertin, Aromes au Gene de Marc, Bleu Des Causses, Brie de Melun, Brillat-Savarin, Brin, ... show all ... , Brin d'Amour, Calenzana, Chabichou du Poitou, Charolais, Dauphin, Fleur du Maquis, Fresh Truffles, Fromage de Montagne de Savoie, Langres, La Vache Qui Rit, Le Brin, Le Fium Orbo, Livarot, Mamirolle, Maroilles, Mont D'or Lyonnais, Morbier, Morbier Cru de Montagne, Murol, Neufchatel, Ossau Fermier, Pave d'Auge, Port-Salut, Reblochon, Rocamadour, Rollot, Roquefort, Sainte Maure, Saint-Nectaire, Saint-Paulin, Sourire Lozerien, Tamie, Tomme de Chevre, Tommes
• soft cheeses: Affidelice au Chablis, Anneau du Vic-Bilh, Baguette Laonnaise, Banon, Bleu de Laqueuille, Bougon, Boule Du Roves, Boursault, Boursin, Bouyssou, ... show all ... , Brebis du Puyfaucon, Bresse Bleu, Brie, Brie au poivre (Brie with pepper), Brie de Meaux, Briquette de Brebis, Briquette du Forez, Brousse du Rove, Buchette d'Anjou, Butte, Cabecou, Cachaille, Camembert, Camembert de Normandie, Caprice des Dieux, Carre de l'Est, Cathelain, Cendre d'Olivet, Chabichou du Poitou, Chabis de Gatine, Chaource, Chevrotin des Aravis, Civray, Coeur de Camembert au Calvados, Coeur de Chevre, Coulommiers, Crottin du Chavignol, Cure Nantais, Delice des Fiouves, Dreux a la Feuille, Epoisses de Bourgogne, Explorateur, Figue, Fin-de-Siecle, Fondant de Brebis, Fontainebleau, Fougerus, Fourme de Haute Loire, Fresh Truffles, Frinault, Fromage Corse, Galette du Paludier, Galette Lyonnaise, Gastanberra, Grand Vatel, Grataron d' Areches, Gratte-Paille, Greuilh, Gris de Lille, Guerbigny, Laruns, La Taupiniere, L'Aveyronnais, L'Ecir de l'Aubrac, Le Lacandou, Lingot Saint Bousquet d'Orb, Lou Pevre, Lyonnais, Macconais, Margotin, Mothais a la Feuille, Nantais, Niolo, Olivet au Foin, Olivet Bleu, Olivet Cendre, Palet de Babligny, Pate de Fromage, Patefine Fort, Pave de Chirac, Pelardon des Cevennes, Pelardon des Corbieres, Perail de Brebis, Picodon de Chevre, Pithtiviers au Foin, Poivre d'Ane, Pont l'Eveque, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, Pourly, P'tit Berrichon, Pyramide, Quatre-Vents, Quercy Petit, Regal de la Dombes, Rigotte, Romans Part Dieu, Rouleau De Beaulieu, Rustinu, Saint Agur, Saint-Marcellin, Selles sur Cher, Soumaintrain, Taupiniere, Tomme des Chouans, Tommes, Touree de L'Aubier, Valencay, Venaco, Vendomois, Vieux Corse, Vignotte
• fresh soft cheeses: Autun, Boulette d'Avesnes, Brocciu, Fromage Frais, Le Roule, Mascares, Pave d'Affinois, Petit-Suisse, Roule

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