Boulette d’Avesnes (Thiérache)

A soft conical-shaped cow’s milk cheese, Boulette d’Avesnes is coated in paprika to give it a reddish-gold colour and distinctive flavour. It is hand-moulded and made with the same curd as Maroilles (see opposite), then enriched with tarragon, parsley, crushed cloves, salt and pepper to give a rather strong, definitive taste. This cheese requires a good beer, or even gin as an accompaniment.

The cheese is also made in the shape of a dolphin, which some say symbolizes the Dauphin in the Court of Louis XIV, although the animal has strong biblical connections too. There is a story that the monks of Maroilles Abbey were banished from their monastery and as they fled taking what they could, some cheeses were dropped in the herb garden. When they returned the cheeses were found nestled in amongst the herbs, and on tasting the cheeses the monks discovered that the herbs had imbued the cheeses with a herby, savoury quality. The monks decided to dedicate the herb-infused cheeses to the Dauphin by making them in the shape of a dolphin.