The makers of France's distinctive Morbier cheese won a court ruling that the Protected Designation of Origin they received in 2002 protects not only the name but the unusual and unique appearance.
The decision by the Court of Appeal in Paris came after ten years of lobbying and lawsuits by the Syndicat Interprofessionnel du Morbier, who have been concerned about look-alike counterfeit cheeses. The ruling came under Article 13 of the European regulations that define protected foods. It may be precedent-setting, since it is the first time it was applied to a characteristic rather than just the name.
The line in the cheese is not mold, as many assume. It is a thin layer of ash from charcoal that originated during harsh winters in the late 1700s, when milk deliveries from farmers to Comte cheesemakers couldn't always get through. Farmers began making their own cheeses, and when there wasn't enough milk, they added a layer of charcoal to keep the milk fresh until the next day's milking. After removing the charcoal, the thin layer of ash remained.
These days, two wheels of cheese are curdled separately before being joined together with the layer of ash. The Syndicat president, Joël Alpy, told press that “Tomorrow, there will only be one product with that dark line, that visual line, which is a particular characteristic of our morbier. It’s unique, it’s inimitable, it’s really our story and it’s our cheese.”
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