Question 1

How many grams in 1 cup of Langres cheese?

Accepted Answer

Langres is a soft, spreadable washed-rind cheese that is almost never measured by cup in cooking — it is served whole or portioned by weight. If you do need to measure by cup, spreadable Langres at room temperature weighs approximately 245 grams per cup when scooped and leveled. A very ripe Langres whose center has liquefied partially may be slightly lighter at around 225 grams per cup when scooped from the interior. Standard Langres wheels come in three sizes: grand (300g), moyen (180g), and petit (150g). A moyen wheel (180g) equals approximately three-quarters of a cup spreadable. For cooking, always measure by gram rather than cup — the soft texture makes volume measurement imprecise.

Question 2

What is Langres cheese and where is it from?

Accepted Answer

Langres is a French PDO (Appellation d'Origine Protegee) washed-rind soft cheese produced in the Langres plateau of the Haute-Marne department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of northeastern France. It holds AOP status since 1991. Made from full-fat raw or pasteurized cow's milk, Langres has a distinctive cylindrical drum shape with a characteristic concave hollow at the top called the fontaine. The rind is washed during the 5-8 week aging process with Marc de Bourgogne brandy or local Champagne, giving it a deep orange-red surface and a pungent barnyard aroma. The paste is cream to pale yellow, soft, and spreadable with a rich, slightly salty, tangy flavor. The fontaine depression is traditionally filled with a tablespoon of Champagne or Marc de Bourgogne just before serving.

Question 3

How do you serve Langres cheese correctly?

Accepted Answer

The traditional serving ritual for Langres is to pour 1-2 tablespoons of Champagne, Chablis, or Marc de Bourgogne brandy directly into the fontaine — the natural hollow at the top — just before guests arrive. The liquid pools in the hollow and gradually soaks into the soft paste, adding flavor and aroma. Remove Langres from the refrigerator at least 45-60 minutes before serving — the rind releases more of its funky complexity when at room temperature (16-18 degrees C). Serve with plain crackers, crusty baguette, or walnut bread. Langres pairs classically with Champagne, Burgundy white wines (Chablis, Pouilly-Fuisse), or a light Pinot Noir. One 180g moyen wheel serves 4-6 people on a mixed cheese board.

Question 4

Can Langres be used in cooking?

Accepted Answer

Langres can be used in cooking, though its primary role is as a table cheese. The ripe paste melts smoothly and richly at low heat (45-50 degrees C) due to its high fat content (approximately 50% fat in dry matter) and high moisture (50-55%). Scoop or dice 60-80g of the interior paste (rind removed) into warm pasta, risotto, or a sauce as a finishing element — it melts into a rich, slightly pungent cream. Langres tarts and quiches use 1 small wheel (150g) per 23cm tart shell. When baked at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes, the wheel softens completely and can be scooped directly onto food. Avoid high-heat applications — the delicate paste scorches easily and the rind turns acrid above 200 degrees C.

Question 5

What is the difference between Langres and Epoisses?

Accepted Answer

Both Langres and Epoisses are Burgundian/Champagne washed-rind PDO cheeses washed in Marc brandy, but they differ significantly in intensity and form. Epoisses (Burgundy AOP) is more pungent — famously strong enough to have been banned from French public transport — and has a smoother, more liquid paste when very ripe. Langres (Champagne-Ardenne AOP) is notably milder and firmer, with a more structured paste and a less aggressive aroma. Both have distinctive orange rinds. In terms of weight, Epoisses standard wheel (250g) = just under 1 cup spreadable at 245g/cup; Langres moyen (180g) = approximately 3/4 cup spreadable. If substituting, use Epoisses sparingly in place of Langres — reduce quantity by 20-30 percent due to greater pungency. Munster-Gerome is a milder alternative when Langres is unavailable.

Question 6

How long does Langres last and how should it be stored?

Accepted Answer

Store Langres in its original packaging or wrapped in wax paper in the coldest part of the refrigerator (4-6 degrees C). An unopened Langres lasts 4-6 weeks from production date. Once the fontaine has been opened or the cheese disturbed, consume within 5-7 days. The rind will continue to develop during storage — darker orange color and stronger aroma are signs of further ripening, not spoilage. Discard only if the paste has turned gray-green or smells of ammonia beyond the characteristic washed-rind notes. Langres does not freeze well — the high moisture and soft paste structure collapse on thawing, producing a grainy, weeping texture. Buy whole wheels and consume within the week for best experience.

Cups	Grams	Tablespoons	Teaspoons
¼	61.3 g	4.01 tbsp	12 tsp
⅓	81.7 g	5.34 tbsp	16 tsp
½	122.5 g	8.01 tbsp	24 tsp
⅔	163.3 g	10.7 tbsp	32 tsp
¾	183.8 g	12 tbsp	36 tsp
1	245 g	16 tbsp	48 tsp
1½	367.5 g	24 tbsp	72.1 tsp
2	490 g	32 tbsp	96.1 tsp
3	735 g	48 tbsp	144.1 tsp
4	980 g	64.1 tbsp	192.2 tsp

Measure	Spreadable (g)	Scooped ripe (g)
1 tablespoon	15.3g	14.1g
¼ cup	61.25g	56.25g
½ cup	122.5g	112.5g
1 cup	245g	225g
Petit wheel (150g)	~0.6 cup	~0.67 cup
Moyen wheel (180g)	~0.73 cup	~0.8 cup
Grand wheel (300g)	~1.22 cups	~1.33 cups

Cheese	Region	Pungency	g/cup spreadable	Standard wheel
Langres	Champagne-Ardenne	Moderate	245g	150-300g
Epoisses	Burgundy	High	245g	250g
Munster-Gerome	Alsace-Vosges	Moderate-high	240g	450-500g
Livarot	Normandy	High	235g	450g
Maroilles	Nord-Hauts-de-France	Very high	250g	700g

Langres Cheese — Cups to Grams

Quick Conversion Table — Langres Cheese

Measuring Langres: Weight Over Volume

The Fontaine: Langres's Defining Feature

Cooking with Langres

Langres vs. Similar French Washed-Rind Cheeses