The short version
The cheese that became a punchline. It smells powerfully of feet — for a real biological reason — and tastes mild, beefy and faintly sweet. The gap between the reputation and the cheese is the widest of anything in this section.
What it is
Limburger originated in the Duchy of Limburg, in what's now Belgium, and is now made mostly in Germany and Wisconsin. The rind is washed with brine containing Brevibacterium linens, which is the same bacterium that lives on human skin and produces foot odour. That's not a metaphor — it's the identical organism producing identical compounds.
- Taste
- mild, beefy, savory, faintly sweet, much gentler than the aroma
- Texture
- firm and chalky when young; soft and spreadable when ripe
- Look
- pale ivory paste, sticky reddish-brown rind, sold in foil bricks
The aroma-flavor gap is the mechanism, and it's larger here than anywhere else. B. linens produces sulphur and short-chain fatty acid compounds that are extraordinarily potent to the nose but contribute relatively little to taste. Limburger is the clearest demonstration that a cheese's smell and its flavor are two different things.
What it pairs with — and why
| Pair it with | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Cocktail rye or pumpernickel | The traditional sandwich base. Dark bread carries it. |
| Raw onion and mustard | The classic Limburger sandwich, and the sharpness is essential. |
| Dark beer | Malt against funk. The Wisconsin pairing, and it works. |
| Pickled onions and cornichons | Acid resetting the palate. |
| Apple | Sweet, cold and clean against a warm savory cheese. |
| Boiled potatoes | Bland starch absorbs the funk and makes it a meal rather than a dare. |
| Gewürztraminer | Aromatic and off-dry, which is what strong washed-rinds need in a wine. |
Skip it with: every delicate cheese, every aged hard cheese, and anything you want to eat afterwards. Limburger dominates completely.
How to prep it for the board
1. Decide whether the board is the right venue. Limburger works best as its own thing — a plate with rye bread, onion and mustard — rather than mixed into a cheese selection. 2. Temper 45 minutes. 3. Cut thin slices from the brick and lay them on the bread rather than free on the board. 4. Serve about 1 oz per person. 5. Isolate it — own plate, own knife, and ideally a different table. 6. Tell people it tastes milder than it smells. With this cheese it's true by a wide margin and it's the only way anyone will try it. 7. Fix: double-bag it in the fridge inside a sealed container. There is no half-measure here.
What to buy
| Product | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chalet Cheese Cooperative Limburger | Wisconsin, specialty shops, online | The last US producer, in Monroe, Wisconsin. The real thing. |
| German Limburger | Grocery international aisle, German markets | Widely imported in foil bricks. |
| Muenster d'Alsace | Cheese counters | The French washed-rind in the same intensity range — see its own page. |
| Époisses | Whole Foods, cheese counters | Stronger-smelling but richer and more refined — see its own page. |
| Taleggio | Whole Foods, cheese counters | Far gentler introduction to washed-rind cheese. |
| Liederkranz | Specialty shops, online | The American cheese created as a milder Limburger. Hard to find and worth it. |
Label check: age matters. Young Limburger is firm and mild; a ripe one is soft, sticky and much stronger. The foil brick doesn't tell you which.
Skip: putting it on a mixed board for a general crowd. It's not a cheese to spring on people.
Quick FAQ
Why does Limburger smell like feet? Because it shares its bacterium. Brevibacterium linens lives on human skin and produces the same compounds — the connection is literal, not a comparison.
Does it taste as bad as it smells? No. It's mild, beefy and faintly sweet. The gap between aroma and flavor is the largest of any cheese.
How is it traditionally eaten? On dark rye with raw onion and mustard, with a dark beer.
Is it still made in America? Yes — the Chalet Cheese Cooperative in Monroe, Wisconsin is the last US producer.
How much per person? About 1 oz, and only for a crowd that's up for it.