What is a PDO cheese?

Products with the PDO label, or “Protected Designation of Origin”, are products which are linked to a specific place of origin. They are thus produced within a defined area where there is an acknowledged, specific know-how.  When you go shopping, watch out for this label because it certifies the authenticity of regional products and by buying one of these products, you are sure of a traditional product with a rich history.  In Belgium there is only one cheese with this label.  So, guess which cheese it is!  Herve cheese!  Since 1996, Herve cheese has been part of the family of PDO cheeses.  But that’s no reason for our local producers to rest on their laurels, far from it!  To produce an authentic Herve cheese, certain conditions have to be respected.  It must be produced with a specific know-how, using milk from the zone defined in the PDO where it must have been produced: the enchanting Pays de Herve.