Chaumes is a smooth, creamy French cheese that tastes a lot like Brie, with a firmer, more rubbery texture.

• Milk: cow’s, pasteurized
• Region: Périgord, in southwest France
• Style: semi-soft, washed rind
• Made since: 1971
• Aged: about four weeks

Why it smells

That orange rind is the clue. Chaumes is a washed-rind cheese, which means the rind is washed over and over as it ages. The washing is what gives the rind its orange color and the cheese its aroma. Washed rinds have a reputation for being stinky, but Chaumes is on the mild end of the family.

About the name

Nifty fact: chaumes is French for stubble, the stalks left in a field after the harvest (the word is also used for thatch).

How to eat it

Take it out of the fridge a little while before serving and put it on a cheese board with fruit and bread. If you’re new to washed rinds, this is a gentle place to start. For more on putting a board together, see How do you build a cheese board?

Wrapping up

If you like Brie but want something a little firmer and a little more adventurous, Chaumes is an easy next step. (Background on its origin and production: Wikipedia.)