Mont des Cats, located in the northern town of Godewaersvelde, is renowned for its cheese and Trappist beer. The village of Mont des Cats owes its name to the Cattes (Katsberg in Flemish), a German tribe, who settled in the region in the 5th century. The Mont is 164 metres high, and offers one of the most beautiful panoramas of the Hauts-de-France region.
The first French Trappist beer, the Mont des Cats was brewed according to authentic methods developed in the abbeys, by or under the supervision of monks. Those of Mount Cats practiced this activity until 1905. Originally, they brewed beer for their personal consumption, but the variety of a brown beer that was a great success among visitors encouraged them to market their production.
In 1907, after the separation of the church and the state, a large number of Trappist brothers left the abbey to settle in Belgium. They founded a new establishment there that gave birth to a new beer, the St Bernardus. This brewing activity stopped for good after the destruction of the abbey during the First World War. The Mont des Cats beer, still brewed in the Trappist tradition, was created in 2011 by the monks of Scourmont Abbey in Chimay (Belgium) but it is bottled in Mont des Cats.
The abbey's cheese factory produces the Bourle Mont de Cats and the Flamay chesses. The recipe for the famous cheese was imported by the monks of the Abbey de Port du Salut, who decided to help the new monastic communities by sharing their recipe.
The cheese was an immediat success and could even be found as far away as Paris. This is how the cheese factory was created in 1849. The "Saint-Bernard" (named after the founder of the Cistercian order) allowed the monks to provide for their community.
Since the 1970's, the monks decided to outsource the milk production and work with local producers. Note : this typical cheese of the Hauts-de-France region was listed in the culinary heritage inventory in 1995 and has won several awards of excellence.
If you go to Mont des Cats, you can also discover its two emblematic monuments: the Cistercian Abbey and the Chapel of Passion where piceces of cloth are hung on the gates for the healing of a loved one.
Have a good visit and good tasting!
For more information.
Jessica from Comme des Français
---
Discover other specialties of the region:
- The Goudale Brewery
- The potjevleesch
- The Wambrechies Distillery
