Maroilles has a vivid nickname: vieux paunt or 'old stinker'. Maroilles is a very pungent French gourmet cheese. It is an ancient monastery cheese and was invented at the Abbey of Maroilles in the tenth century. Today, it is still produced locally in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common are square.

The typically orange-red washed rind is recognizable by its rough ridging. It is wrapped and packed in boxes. Ideally you should open the box before purchase to ensure that the cheese is in good shape.

The paste of good Maroilles is soft, bulging slightly but not too much, and with numerous small holes. The aroma of the rind is strong and meaty. The paste has a similar though lighter aroma. The flavor is excellent with a salty, meaty quality and a lemony tang. It is not a cheese for the faint-hearted.

Similar cheeses are Livarot and Munster.