Maroilles / 700 to 750g / Cow/Pasteurised/Animal Rennet / Soft washed / Thiérache / 27% fat /Strong penetrating smell yet mild. meaty with hints of bacon taste. 
 
 
Originally from Thiérache, located near the Belgian border between Hainaut and the Ardennes, the Maroilles owes its name to the ancient Gaul village of Maro Lalo meaning "great clearing".
The monks of the Abbey of Maroilles invented the "Merveille de Maroilles” over a thousand years ago and is as such most probably the very first rindwashed cheese. There is a long history of meat abstinence in monastic life, It is possible that the creation of Maroilles, a cheese with a distinct meaty taste would have been a way to compensate for this abstinence. 
 
This is very much my favourite cheese, it is just about right when the rind becomes a bit sandy yet it has something to give at all ages! We, the Ch'tis, love to eat it cooked as a goyère (a savoury quiche served as a hot starter) or  as it comes for breakfast on a baguette dunked in coffee, it  is a must-try!  It may be used as a base for tasty sauces such as the "Poulet au maroilles", a classic in Northern France estaminets.
Accompany it with a well-structured red wine like Pomerol or, in the Thiérache fashion, beer or country cider.
I have mine as a true Ch'ti ( people from northern France ) on a baguette dipped in my coffee!