This article needs additional citations for
verification. (January 2013) |
The Laughing Cow (La Vache qui Rit) | |
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Other names | Laughing Cow Cheese |
Country of origin | |
Region | Lons-le-Saunier [2] [3] |
Source of milk | Cow |
Pasteurised | Yes |
Texture | Semi-soft |
Aging time | Made from aged cheeses, but not aged itself |
Certification | Trademarked brand name |
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The Laughing Cow ( French: La vache qui rit French pronunciation: [la vaʃ ki ʁi]) is a brand of processed cheese products made by Fromageries Bel since 1921. The name refers in particular to the brand's most popular product, the spreadable wedge. [4]
The cheese is a blend of cream, milk, and fresh and aged cheeses, particularly comté, which are pasteurized to stop the ripening process. Versatile and portable because of its pasteurization process, Laughing Cow can remain unrefrigerated for a limited length of time. The archetypal Laughing Cow cheese comes wrapped in the individual serving-sized foiled wedges and they are packaged in a round, flat box. Consumers have to pull a little red thread around the box to open it and the foil packaging also features a red tab for opening. The company was founded in 1921. The Laughing Cow is available in these formats in different worldwide markets:
Discontinued formats of The Laughing Cow include:
The Laughing Cow USA introduced a TV commercial in 2009 where the company introduced a new slogan, "Have you laughed today?". In 2010 they updated the brand's website to include cheese recipes.
Laughing Cow cheese is available in its original flavour, a light version with 7% fat, and an ultra-light version with 3% fat. In addition, flavoured versions of the cheese (such as ham, gruyère, garlic, paprika, mushroom, chèvre, bleu, hazelnut, pizza, jalapeño and onion) are also available in various markets worldwide.
The Laughing Cow is a red and white cow depicted as being jovial, and almost always wearing ear tags that look like the round boxes the cheese comes in. On April 16, 1921, Léon Bel trademarked his brand, as La Vache Qui Rit, in France. [6] [7] Bel had made the original drawing himself, after seeing a travelling meat wagon during World War I called "La Wachkyrie", a play on the word for Valkyrie. [7] The cow in the original drawing was not red and did not wear ear tags. In 1924, illustrator Benjamin Rabier edited the drawing into something more like the image that prevails today. [6] The blue and white stripes around the box date from 1955. Since 1976 both ear-tag boxes have been shown with the top side visible. Before then, one tag showed the top and the other showed the bottom side. The current logo uses the Droste effect, with the laughing cow appearing inside the ear tags. [8]
Kiri (pronounced in the same way as "qui rit") is a separate brand that Bel established in 1966. [9]
The cheese has long been popular in the United Kingdom and Canada as a children's snack. [10] The cheese has also been a constant, but hardly popular, product in the United States for a number of years.
Localized names include:
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (January 2013) |
The Laughing Cow (La Vache qui Rit) | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Other names | Laughing Cow Cheese |
Country of origin | |
Region | Lons-le-Saunier [2] [3] |
Source of milk | Cow |
Pasteurised | Yes |
Texture | Semi-soft |
Aging time | Made from aged cheeses, but not aged itself |
Certification | Trademarked brand name |
![]() |
The Laughing Cow ( French: La vache qui rit French pronunciation: [la vaʃ ki ʁi]) is a brand of processed cheese products made by Fromageries Bel since 1921. The name refers in particular to the brand's most popular product, the spreadable wedge. [4]
The cheese is a blend of cream, milk, and fresh and aged cheeses, particularly comté, which are pasteurized to stop the ripening process. Versatile and portable because of its pasteurization process, Laughing Cow can remain unrefrigerated for a limited length of time. The archetypal Laughing Cow cheese comes wrapped in the individual serving-sized foiled wedges and they are packaged in a round, flat box. Consumers have to pull a little red thread around the box to open it and the foil packaging also features a red tab for opening. The company was founded in 1921. The Laughing Cow is available in these formats in different worldwide markets:
Discontinued formats of The Laughing Cow include:
The Laughing Cow USA introduced a TV commercial in 2009 where the company introduced a new slogan, "Have you laughed today?". In 2010 they updated the brand's website to include cheese recipes.
Laughing Cow cheese is available in its original flavour, a light version with 7% fat, and an ultra-light version with 3% fat. In addition, flavoured versions of the cheese (such as ham, gruyère, garlic, paprika, mushroom, chèvre, bleu, hazelnut, pizza, jalapeño and onion) are also available in various markets worldwide.
The Laughing Cow is a red and white cow depicted as being jovial, and almost always wearing ear tags that look like the round boxes the cheese comes in. On April 16, 1921, Léon Bel trademarked his brand, as La Vache Qui Rit, in France. [6] [7] Bel had made the original drawing himself, after seeing a travelling meat wagon during World War I called "La Wachkyrie", a play on the word for Valkyrie. [7] The cow in the original drawing was not red and did not wear ear tags. In 1924, illustrator Benjamin Rabier edited the drawing into something more like the image that prevails today. [6] The blue and white stripes around the box date from 1955. Since 1976 both ear-tag boxes have been shown with the top side visible. Before then, one tag showed the top and the other showed the bottom side. The current logo uses the Droste effect, with the laughing cow appearing inside the ear tags. [8]
Kiri (pronounced in the same way as "qui rit") is a separate brand that Bel established in 1966. [9]
The cheese has long been popular in the United Kingdom and Canada as a children's snack. [10] The cheese has also been a constant, but hardly popular, product in the United States for a number of years.
Localized names include: