Fromage de Nazareth
Hailing from Belgium, Fromage de Nazareth is a much-loved cheese. ยท Belgium
Hailing from Belgium, Fromage de Nazareth is a much-loved cheese.
About Fromage de Nazareth
Hailing from Belgium, Fromage de Nazareth is a much-loved cheese. It is a distinctive cheese with deep local roots.
๐๏ธ History & Culture
Fromage de Nazareth originates from the small town of Nazareth in East Flanders, Belgium, where it has been produced for generations as a farmhouse cheese. Its exact history is not fully documented, but it is widely recognized as a traditional washed-rind cheese, known for its soft, creamy interior and distinctive reddish-brown crust that develops from regular washing with brine or local beer.
Within Belgium, the cheese is celebrated for its robust, earthy flavor and is often enjoyed with crusty bread or as part of a local cheese board. While its production methods remain artisanal, variations exist depending on the farm and aging time, yet the name "Nazareth" remains a point of pride for the region, appearing in local markets and festivals as a symbol of Flemish dairy heritage.
๐ณ How to make Fromage de Nazareth
AI-assisted, not kitchen-testedFromage de Nazareth (Belgian Fresh Cheese from Nazareth)
Fromage de Nazareth is a small, traditional Belgian fresh cheese from the village of Nazareth in East Flanders, made from cow's milk and typically flavored with cloves. It is a quick, home-style farm cheese with a soft, mild flavor and a smooth, creamy texture โ not a press-cooked aged cheese.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 8 small cheeses (about 400 g total)
- Difficulty
- Medium
Recipe ingredients
- 4 L (1 gallon) full-fat cow's milk, fresh, not UHT, for best flavor and curd set; raw or pasteurized both work
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice, or use 2.5 ml rennet per L of milk for a more traditional set; amounts given here are for the lemon-juice version
- 1 g (ยผ teaspoon) fine sea salt, adjust to taste
- 2 whole cloves, a defining flavor of the original; studded into the top of each cheese, or null if omitted
Steps
- 1 Slowly heat the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 35 ยฐC (95 ยฐF). Use a kitchen thermometer โ overheating will toughen the curds.
- 2 Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the milk sit undisturbed for 10โ15 minutes; it should separate into pale curds and translucent greenish whey. If it does not set, add another 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of lemon juice and wait 10 more minutes.
- 3 Line a large colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Ladle the curds into the cloth and let them drain for 10 minutes, then gather the corners and gently squeeze for about 1 minute to remove excess whey. Discard the whey (or reserve for bread baking).
- 4 Transfer the curds to a bowl. Add the salt and stir gently to distribute evenly. Taste and adjust salt.
- 5 Shape the curd into small rounds about 100 g (3ยฝ oz) each, roughly 6 cm (2ยฝ in) wide and 2 cm (ยพ in) thick, by pressing gently with your hands or the back of a spoon in a small sieve or cheese mold. The cheese is traditionally served very fresh, so no pressing beyond gentle shaping is needed.
- 6 Press a whole clove into the top center of each cheese. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to firm up.
- 7 Serve cold, on rye or country bread, with a little butter and a sprinkle of black pepper. The cheese will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
- 8 Safety note: If using raw (unpasteurized) milk, this fresh cheese is intended to be consumed within a few days of making and is not safe for pregnant women, young children, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system. If using pasteurized milk, this concern is removed, but the cheese should still be eaten within 3 days.
Report an issue with this recipe
Recipes from travellers
No one has shared their own Fromage de Nazareth recipe yet. Yours would be the first.
Share how you make Fromage de Nazareth
You'll need to be signed in with Google or Facebook so your name can appear on it. Recipes go through an automatic food-safety check before they publish.
Sign in to share your recipe
Fromage de Nazareth โ frequently asked questions
What is Fromage de Nazareth?
Hailing from Belgium, Fromage de Nazareth is a much-loved cheese. It is a distinctive cheese with deep local roots.
What is Fromage de Nazareth made of?
Fromage de Nazareth is made with full-fat cow's milk, fresh lemon juice, fine sea salt and cloves.
Where does Fromage de Nazareth come from?
Fromage de Nazareth comes from Belgium. Fromage de Nazareth originates from the small town of Nazareth in East Flanders, Belgium, where it has been produced for generations as a farmhouse cheese.
Where can I eat Fromage de Nazareth?
At weekend markets in East Flanders, locals slice Fromage de Nazareth onto crusty bread for a simple midday snack.
How do you make Fromage de Nazareth?
Making Fromage de Nazareth at home takes about 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe on this page serves 8 small cheeses (about 400 g total) and is rated medium. Full ingredient list and step-by-step method are in the recipe section above.
Taste Fromage de Nazareth in Brussels
Independent picks. We earn a small commission if you book through these โ at no extra cost to you. How this works.
โ Before you go to Belgium
Round out your trip โ most travellers book these alongside their trip.
More dishes like Fromage de Nazareth
Fruit Lambic
Fruit Lambic is a tart Belgian farmhouse beer brewed with whole fresh cherries, raspberries, or peaches in the Senne valley south of Brussels.
Faro
Brussels-style sweetened lambic blended with dark candy sugar โ the everyday cafรฉ beer of the Pajottenland, easy to drink with a soft caramel edge.
Potjesvlees Uit de Westhoek
Potjesvlees Uit de Westhoek is a beloved other meat products, traditional to Belgium.
Stoemp
Mashed potato mashed through with vegetables.
Waterzooi
Creamy Flemish stew of chicken or fish and vegetables.
Fromage de Maredsous
Fromage de Maredsous is the Belgian abbey cheese made in collaboration with Maredsous Benedictine Abbey in Wallonia, in three styles.
Bresse Bleu
A creamy mild blue-veined cow's-milk cheese developed in the Bresse region of eastern France in the early 1950s.
Cornish Blue
Cornish Blue is a mellow blue cheese made in Cornwall from cow's milk, known for being mild, creamy and less salty than many blues.
Akkawi
Mild brined white cheese from Acre on the Mediterranean coast, central to Levantine breakfasts and the shredded filling of knafeh.
Burrata
A mozzarella pouch that spills cream when you cut it.
Le Douanier
Le Douanier is one of the classic dishes in the cheese tradition of Canada.
Berenklauw
Dutch Limburg yeast-dough pastry scored into a claw shape, deep-fried until mahogany and rolled in coarse sugar.
Sugo di Funghi
A rich northern and central Italian mushroom sauce slow-cooked with soffritto, garlic, white wine, tomato and mixed porcini, champignon and dried porcini for pasta, polenta, risotto and bruschetta.
Ajvar
Roasted red pepper relish, smoky and sweet.
Galaktoboureko
Semolina custard baked in filo and soaked in syrup.
Zapiekanka
Open baguette toasted with mushrooms and cheese.
- ๐ง๐ช Fruit Lambic · Belgium
- ๐ง๐ช Faro · Belgium
- ๐ง๐ช Potjesvlees Uit de Westhoek · Belgium
- ๐ง๐ช Stoemp · Belgium
- ๐ง๐ช Waterzooi · Belgium
- ๐ง๐ช Fromage de Maredsous · Belgium
- ๐ซ๐ท Bresse Bleu · France
- ๐ฌ๐ง Cornish Blue · United Kingdom
- ๐ฎ๐ฑ Akkawi · Israel
- ๐ฎ๐น Burrata · Italy
- ๐จ๐ฆ Le Douanier · Canada
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Berenklauw · Netherlands
- ๐ฎ๐น Sugo di Funghi · Italy
- ๐ท๐ธ Ajvar · Serbia
- ๐ฌ๐ท Galaktoboureko · Greece
- ๐ต๐ฑ Zapiekanka · Poland
Travel guides for Belgium
All travel guides →Planning a trip where Fromage de Nazareth is on the menu? These guides cover Belgium and beyond.
Budget Travel The Price of a Plate: What the National Dish Costs in 50 Countries (2026 Index)
Sep 02, 2026 · 6 min read
Budget Travel Europe on a Budget: How to Travel Comfortably for โฌ70 a Day (2026 Guide)
Aug 23, 2026 · 8 min read
Travel Tips Train Travel in Europe: The Complete Guide to Eurail, Interrail, and Regional Passes (2026)
Aug 22, 2026 · 6 min read
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience with Fromage de Nazareth.
Write a review
Sign in to verify you're a real person, then share your thoughts on Fromage de Nazareth.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to say something about Fromage de Nazareth.