Cantal cheese

Cantal, also called Fourme de Cantal, is an old French raw milk cheese from Auvergne, which is made ​​from milk of Salers beef. This product is protected by the Appellation d' Origine.

Related to the Cantal is the Salers and Laguiole.

Origin

The cheese comes from the Auvergne with its extinct volcanoes and plateaus. In this mountainous region the Aubrac and Salers cows give relatively little but fat milk. He is considered one of France's oldest cheeses. Already Pliny the Elder mentioned it almost 2000 years ago. The AOC was awarded in 1956.

Production

A special feature is the two-time pressing. The already pressed curd is broken again. This repeated grinding of the tome ( pressed disc ) with a grinder is a process that is used in France only in the Cantal. Then he will be salted with 21 to 24 g per kilo and pressed into its final form. The dough is semi-solid and compact. He is not heated. The body has a diameter of 36-42 cm and a height of 35 to 40 cm. During ripening, the cheese is rubbed and turned twice a week. The fat content is about 45 grams per 100 grams dry weight.

Seasons

The special feature is that the name of the cheese of the season depends. Cheese, which is made ​​from the milk of grazing on mountain pastures Salers cattle and produced between 20 May and 30 September, is called Salers cheese. Only the cheese produced outside this season is called Cantal.

Maturity levels

At the age of up to one month Cantal is: white and mild as jeune. After an aging period of two to six months it is called entre deux, its color is golden yellow. Vieux other hand, more than six months of maturation. He is then reddish and slightly cracked.

The matching wine

Cantal is considered nutty and slightly sour cheese. Its bark is easily broken, it is beige gray, thin and dry. This mold growth is favored in the body. The right drink for Cantal is a dry red wine (such as Rioja, Côtes d' Auvergne ).