What even is a washed rind cheese?

Have you ever heard people talk about “washed rind” cheeses? If you have or haven’t, hopefully after reading this you’ll take away some new info! 

Different rind styles

There are natural rinds, inedible rinds (plastic coating or wax such as Gouda and Manchego), bloomy rinds, then there’s the washed rind style.

A washed rind cheese refers to a cheese which is treated with a liquid post make, usually washed with a cloth or a brush. This wash can help to promote the development of sticky orange or pink ripening bacteria on the surface (aka Brevibacterium linens). Once a cheese is complete, the PH levels on the cheese is too low for a rind to allow for growth of ripening bacteria. So rubbing rinds with a wash (with a neutral PH) increases the PH and can encourage bacteria to grow. 

Types of wash solutions

Cheesemakers can decide on many different washes that are water based sometimes with the following added:

• Salt (brine) - strength of 3% to encourage the growth of salt tolerant bacteria

• alcohol such as cider, beer, brandy

• “Morge” aka scrapings from the cheese added to the wash solution

• Herbs or other food ingredients (one example is Tornegus, which is washed in English wine, mint and verbena)

Before washing, cheeses may be held at a 16-22°C and high relative humidity in order to promote the development of yeasts on the surface of the cheese, known as “hastening”.

How often the cheeses are washed

• Daily

• Once every few days

• Only 1 or 2 during the ripening period
  (The frequency of washing depends on the desired rind appearance and the conditions in the ripening room, some cheeses maybe dried out by the refrigeration and so need more frequent washing)

Types of bacteria present on surface of washed rind cheeses

• Brevibacterium linens

• Genus Arthrobacter

• Microbacterium 

• Coagulasenegative Staphylococci such as S. xylosus

• Salt tolerant organisms (it has been suggested that these may arise from the salt applied to the rind)

Some examples of washed rind cheeses and what they are washed with:

Soft cheeses

UK: Stinking Bishop - flavoured wash solution (cider)

UK: Roll Right - unflavoured wash solution

Ireland: Durrus - unflavoured wash solution

France: Langres - flavoured wash solution (first in annatto and then in a solution containing either Marc de Champagne or Marc de Bourgogne - brandy)

France: Maroilles - unflavoured wash solution

France: Munster - unflavoured wash solution

France: Vacherin Mont D’Or - wash solution - brine

Portugal: Torta de Casar - unflavoured wash solution

Portugal: Serra da Estrela PDO - unflavoured wash solution

Italy: Taleggio - unflavoured wash solution

Belgium: Fromage de Herve PDO - unflavoured wash solution

Hard/Alpine cheeses

France: Comté (rind washed and dry brushed)

Switzerland: Bergkäse (unflavoured wash solution, rind washed and dry brushed)

Switzerland: Emmentaler (rind washed and dry brushed)

Italy: Fontina PDO rind washed and dry brushed)

France: Ossau Iraty (rind washed and dry brushed)