Port Salut

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Port Salut a French cheese which had its origin, around 1815, in a monastery of Trappist monks at the abbey of Notre Dame de Port du Salut, in Mayenne. During the 19th century the reputation of this cheese spread, and production increased very considerably. The name was registered in 1874, but imitators multiplied. Since 1959, when the monks sold the name, it has been the property of a large commercial concern.

A Port Salut cheese, made from whole or very slightly skimmed milk, is 25 cm (10") in diameter and almost 5 cm (2") thick, weighing just over 2 kg (5 lb). It has a semi-soft but elastic texture, a natural orange rind, and a 50 per cent fat content.