Vieux Lille

This close relative to Maroilles is recognizable first and foremost by its aroma, which is even stronger than Maroilles! Puant de Lille (Puant macéré), Gris de Lille and Vieux Lille truly live up to their smelly names. To begin with, this cheese is a Maroilles that has been macerated in brine for three long months, which gives it a particularly salty taste (3.5 to 4% salt content)! Traditionally this was the cheese that miners preferred.
The rind of this cheese is gray and of a sticky appearance. It is in the shape of a slab with approximately 5.1 in. on each side and 1.9 to 2.3 in. of thickness for an average weight of 24.65 to 28.2 oz.
It is also available in a small 7-oz. size.

The rind is sticky and gray; the paste is of a creamy color, dense and relatively firm in the center and softer on the surface, with no holes.

With its particularly salty taste, Vieux Lille is a cheese with a very typical taste, a soft texture in the mouth and a strong yeasty and sometimes ammoniac aroma.