Saint-Nectaire

The Saint- Nectaire is a French cow's milk cheese, named after the town of Saint -Nectaire in the heart of the Auvergne region, about 30 km south of the regional capital Clermont -Ferrand. The name of the cheese after the city comes from Henri de la Ferté Senneterre ( 1600-1681 ). Today, " Saint- Nectaire " a protected designation of origin; designated by this name cheese may only be produced in 72 villages (20 in the Cantal 52 in the Puy -de- Dôme and ).

Saint- Nectaire is made from curdled milk of Salers cattle breed. The curd is pressed at normal temperature, in order to separate as much liquid. You will Käselaibern of about 1.7 kilograms processed weight and 8 - aged 10 weeks. The quality also depends on the season. The best time is the period from May to October, when more moderate are January and February. At the end of the ripening of Saint- Nectaire has, depending on the aging of a yellowish -brown to dark gray - mottled bark, which is hard at cheese matured for longer. Under the - edible - rind, the cheese is pale yellow color and firm, but soft, creamy consistency. The taste and odor of the cheese has a very distinctive touch that can be described as sweet, and reminiscent of nuts, mushrooms or sugar beets. Depending on the maturity and taste of this brand varies. In Auvergne Saint -Nectaire is one of the milder cheeses, even if he has a much more pronounced flavor than Brie or Camembert about.

Characteristic is the formation of mold on the rind. Unlike other varieties (such as Camembert and Roquefort ) but added no noble mold. Rather, it is natural mold spores that settle during maturation in a cave on the bark, in the form of dark gray spots. At the end of the maturation of spills in other colors (white, black, red and sometimes even yellow ) possible.

How many of St. Nectaire cheese is produced industrially as well as from farms. When production in dairies ( " laitier " on the label) is basically used pasteurized milk, while the farm - production ( " Fermier " ) exclusively used raw milk. In 2001, the total production of this cheese was approximately 13,000 tons.