Flavour : salty, strong
Aroma : pungent

Vieux Lille is an unpasteurised cow's milk  cheese from Flanders (Nord-Pas-de-Calais). Vieux Lille is actually a type of Maroilles, a very well known cheese with a history going back to the Middle Ages when French cheese-making became the domain of the Monasteries.
Vieux Lille has a pungent odour and strong salty flavour. The alternate name of 'Puant de Lille' is a little more descriptive, the latter being literally translated as 'stinking pickle'. Nowadays in France the stronger cheeses are more popular than ever, with local sayings such as "The more it stinks the better it is". 
It can be eaten at the end of a cheese board or on its own. The locals eat it with strong beer or black coffee.

Country of origin : France
Region of origin : Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Milk type : cow
Pasteurised : no
Cheese type : washed rind
Fat content : 45%