Mobay cheese is an American take on the French Morbier cheese, with a layer of ash separating two layers of cow’s milk cheese. The American version uses goat and sheep’s milk, resulting in a semi-soft cheese with a unique flavor. It can be split along the ash line for separate goat and sheep’s cheese wedges, or used in a variety of dishes.
Mobay cheese is an American cheese, not to be confused with the standard orange cheeses called “Americans.” It comes from an old style of French cheese making. The name Mobay is a corruption of Morbier a type of semi-soft cheese made in France that has two layers, separated by a layer of edible ash. The French style is quite different from the American version. It uses two different types of cow’s milk to make two separate layers of cheese. One layer is made up of morning milk and the second layer is made up of cow’s milk from the afternoon milking.
This process is said to have been developed by small farmers with limited supplies of dairy products who had to wait until the afternoon to get enough milk to completely fill the waiting cheese. If the first layer were left uncovered, it would start to crust. Ash, from woods such as juniper or from grasses, provided the perfect way to eliminate scab formation so the cheese molds could wait for the second layer of milk.
Mobay cheese is a take-off and exciting take on the French style. Instead of relying on cow’s milk, the artisans create a cheese made up of one layer of goat and one layer of sheep’s milk. The resulting semi-soft Mobay cheese is a very interesting and very diverse cheese in taste. It has some of the strong goat cheese flavor, which is softened by the layer of sheep’s cheese, and many people love the taste.
Cheese makers use a variety of different edible ash formulas. Some use vine ash, for example, and this lends a thin, smoky layer to the cheese. Others look at the ash parting point as a way to really get two cheeses for one. In some areas, you can ask people to “split” the Mobay cheese along the ash line, which can essentially give you goat wedges and sheep’s cheese wedges.
On the other hand, you can buy sheep or goat cheese if you prefer one to the other. If you like both, Mobay cheese solves your problem. It melts well and can be used on top of pizza, can be crumbled into salads or make a delicious cheese choice for a cheese course. It’s excellent paired with fruit, served on crackers, and many people suggest that the Mobay cheese served with port is the perfect after-dinner “dessert” or a fantastic first course.
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