Sacre Bleu(s)!!...

The region of Auvergne-Rhone Alpes courtesy of wikipedia

Hello Fellow Travelers!

I often am asked what my favorite cheese is…a difficult question to answer, but not impossible. I would have to answer by saying the classic French Bleu cheeses…Roquefort, Fourme de Montbrison, Bleu de Gex, Bleu des Causses, Saint Agur, just to name a few. Of all of these French Bleus, my current favorites are from the region of Auvergne-Rhone Alpes.

Not familiar with the Auvergne-Rhone Alpes region or its famous cheeses?...Let me tell you more!

The region of Auvergne-Rhone Alpes lies about 439 km (273 miles) south of Paris and lies within the Massif Central, a highland region in the middle of Southern France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. 

Photo courtesy of Clermont Auvergne Tourisme

At one time, this area was volcanic (yes, I said volcanos in France!) which helped to create luscious soil and grasslands for the dairy cows of this area. One of the most famous volcanic areas is known as the Chaîne des Puys, a string of cinder cones, lava domes, and maars (a shallow volcanic crater that fills with water). The tallest of all of these lava domes is Puy de Dôme, standing proudly at 1,464 m (4,803 ft.) The term “Puy” refers to a volcanic mountain with a rounded profile. The Chaîne des Puys was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2018.

Auvergne-Rhone Alpes region contains four départements (one of the three levels of government below the national level). These départements are: Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Puy-de-Dôme.

 As I mentioned, this region is famous for several PDO Cheeses such as Cantal, Salers, Saint-Nectaire, and Fourme de Montbrison….but the ones that have me “Singing the Bleus” are Bleu d'Auvergne and Fourme d'Ambert!

Bleu d’Auvergne - The birth of Bleu d’ Auvergne, can be traced to an area about forty miles west of Clermont-Ferrand, France. The year was 1845, and life in this mountainous region was difficult at best. Isolated from many larger developed cities, communication was slow to reach this area.

It was here that Antoine Roussel spent many of his years. Needing to provide for his family, he thought of trying to produce cheeses and age them in the home’s cellar. The cheese that Roussel first created was hardly stirred, and was lightly pressed with just a simple stone. These first attempts were uneven in quality and difficult to sell. Some of the wheels accidentally developed blue mold, to which Roussel called “Special, Pleasant, and Fragrant.” Eager to repeat this process and encourage the blue mold to develop uniformly, Roussel began to analyze his cheese making process, to discover some practices that are still in place today. 

Roussel started by using clay forms, then wooden forms, and finally switched to tin forms. After several unsuccessful experiments, he noticed that the rye bread placed near several of the forms in his cellar developed the blue mold the same way that the wheels of cheese did. His idea of associating the two molds, was a major breakthrough. 

By 1854, Roussel was able to unlock the secret of bluing the cheese wheels perfectly, by artificially creating holes in the cheese with knitting needles. Of this discovery by Roussel, George Mathieu, Director of the National Dairy School in Aurillac, France said “Roussel had just completed microbial seeding and culture, which this practice is still accepted by all. This was all supported by the work of Louis Pasteur just three years later in 1857, when he presented his first paper on lactic fermentation, and then again in 1860, when Pasteur was able to show that germs exist in the air and can inoculate organic matter”.  

It was not until a study that was published in 1893, that the cheese was referred to as Bleu d’Auvergne as “Cheese made the Roquefort way”.

Bleu d’Auvergne was formally recognized as an AOC (Appellation d’origine controlee) cheese by the INAO (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité) on March 7, 1975. 

Fourme d’Ambert – Since the 8th Century, different legends all attest that Fourme d'Ambert cheese was in existence and was enjoyed. Fourme d'Ambert cheese has even served as a currency in the 18th Century, to pay for the rent of the cabins (known as “Jasseries” where the cheese was made (see below).  During the time of mountain summer pasturing, from June to October, the women and the children lived in the cabins where the cheese was made while the men were out in the fields or pastures with the herd.

Fourme d'Ambert cheese is cylindrical in shape with a diameter of 11cm (4.33 in.), a height of 22cm (8.66 in.) and a weight of 1.5kg (3.31 lbs.). The maturing process of the Fourme d'Ambert cheese lasts for around 2 months in a humid cheese cellar where it undergoes frequent brushings. Exterior appearance of the Fourme d'Ambert rind can be grey, speckled with yellow and orange marks, or can vary and become a more pale orange color. Both are natural variances in aging.

Fourme d’Ambert, was formally recognized as an AOC (Appellation d’origine controlee) cheese by the INAO (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité) on May 9, 1972. 

The judges at the Salon du Fromage at the Le Concours Général Agricole awarded both Pont de la Pierre® and Gaston Troupel® Fourme d’Ambert cheeses with the prestigious Médaille d'Or (Gold Medal) for superior quality.

With news like this, it’s no wonder why I scream a joyous Sacré Bleu Cheese!

Until next week,

Trevor