Limburger/Romadur

Description

Limburger originated in Belgium, but today it is mainly produced in Germany, especially in the Allgäu region. Limburger was first produced in the 13th century by monks in the monasteries around Liège of the former Duchy of Limburg, now divided between the states of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Under Charles V, livestock farming was strongly encouraged in the 16th century, giving Limburg cheese a powerful boost. In 1830, the agricultural reformer Carl Hirnbein brought the recipe for Limburg soft cheese back from his study trips to his native Allgäu.  Together with the Grosjean brothers from Limburg, he opened the first soft cheese dairy for Limburger cheese in southern Germany in Oberallgäu. 

Limburger was so popular for a time that its price, along with that of Emmentaler, was the basis for calculating the price of milk.

Both cheeses belong to the group of "red smear" soft cheeses. The reddish bacterial flora - which contains Brevibacterium linens - is extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity during ripening. The cheese's piquant, even "stinky" flavor profile develops after three to four weeks of ripening and careful handling. The cheese flavor develops primarily on the surface by washing/lubricating the surface with a special bacterial culture. Today, the intense, piquant smell of the cheese is only appreciated by a few cheese lovers. Nevertheless, it remains a specialty, especially in Bavaria, and is indispensable for a hearty snack.