The Rollot
The pride of the Oise region, the Rollot with its washed and streaked rind only turns red in the hâloir. This independent raw milk cheese does not fit in a box.
Royal Picard
Maroilles has the fame, Rollot has the blue blood. The Picardy cousin was raised by the same monks in the abbey’s summer residence. But its destiny changed in the Grand Siècle when Louis XIV, on an inspection visit to the region, fell in love with this little soft round cheese with an orange rind. Jackpot for the family, which was awarded the title of “Royal Cheesemaker”, with income and orders guaranteed for several generations. But the First World War sounded the death knell for production until the 1970s when a few farms in the Oise region successfully revived it. Because “the good Rollot is a winner”!
A cheese with a heart
If lovers eat it with their mouths agape on Valentine’s Day, it is less for its stubborn smell than for its pretty heart shape. However, baby rollot was born round, even cylindrical, which is still more practical to make. So why this romantic turn ? To stand out from the competition that was raging in the Bray region at the time. Neufchâtel, Coeur d’Adèle, each village has its own little name, happily copying each other’s recipe and shape.
