Semi-soft
Pressed but not cooked curd, aged for medium duration. Tomme styles, Havarti, Morbier, Saint-Nectaire. The "what's for sandwiches and table cheese" middle of the cheese spectrum.
Technical description
Curd is cut into larger pieces than hard cheeses (peanut-to-walnut sized), drained without significant heating (or only gently warmed), then pressed into molds for typically 6-24 hours. The result is a cheese with intermediate moisture (40-50%) — softer than aged hard cheeses, firmer than bloomy rinds. Aging develops natural rinds (sometimes washed lightly, sometimes brushed); paste develops mild, milky, sometimes earthy flavors. Many regional Tommes fit here; Morbier has a distinctive line of edible ash through the middle from its split-batch heritage.
Aging parameters
Microbial environment
Mesophilic lactic starters dominate. Surface flora develops naturally during aging — molds, yeasts, and sometimes light Brevibacterium colonization. The rind is often brushed clean during aging rather than allowed to develop a heavy bloomy or washed character.
History
Morbier originated as a way for farmers to use leftover evening curds — the morning curd was layered on top, with a thin layer of ash applied to the evening curd surface to protect it from flies overnight. Today the ash line is symbolic and made with vegetable charcoal. Saint-Nectaire is the largest-volume French AOP after Comté and Reblochon, with production split between fermier (farm-produced, raw milk, oval label) and laitier (dairy-produced, typically pasteurized, square label). Tomme is a generic term covering many regional cheeses; only specific Tommes are AOP/PGI protected.
Signature cheeses
- Tomme de Savoie PGI
- Saint-Nectaire AOP
- Morbier AOP (ash line, Jura)
- Reblochon AOP (overlap with washed-rind category)
- Havarti (Denmark)
- Fontina DOP (Val d'Aosta)
- Edam (Netherlands)
- Port Salut (lineage from Trappist monasteries)
- Manchester (Consider Bardwell Farm, USA)
Key regions
AOP / DOP designations
- Saint-Nectaire AOP (France, 1955)
- Morbier AOP (France, 2000)
- Tomme de Savoie PGI (France, 1996)
- Fontina DOP (Italy, 1996)
- Reblochon de Savoie AOP (France, 1958)
- Tomme des Pyrénées PGI
- Asiago DOP (semi-soft "Pressato" version vs hard "d'allevo")