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The Cheeses of Savoie in the French Alps: France’s Yummy Cheeses
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In my humble, yet educated opinion, Savoie and Haute-Savoie have the best cheeses of France. Some of the most produced and beloved cheeses of the region include a large variety of Tommes, and the Abondance, Beaufort (my favorite), Comte, and Reblochon fromages. While I find the taste of Reblochon not as pleasant as the others, I do appreciate a good Tartiflette made with this unique cheese. The making of Reblochon is also special.
The name Reblochon derives from the verb reblocher, which means ‘to pinch a cow’s udder again.’ This is because Reblochon is made with the thicker, richer milk from the second milking of Abondance, Montbeliard and Tarine cows (the cows of the region). The reason for the second milking came about during the 14th century when the landowners would tax the mountain farmers based on the amount of milk their cows produced. To reduce their taxes, the farmers would not fully milk the cows until after the landowner had measured the milk.
The Reblochon cheese is highly regulated. The AOC regulations dictate that the milk must be brought to the place of production as quickly as possible after each milking. Renneting must be done within 24 hours of the last milking. Rennet, an enzyme, helps in the coagulation of the raw material — milk — into solid curds and milky whey.
The Fermier Reblochon must bear a green casein label. A green medallion denotes it is farm-made daily, using the milk from a single herd. A red tag indicates that the cheese was made in factories or cooperatives with milk brought in by several producers. Reblochon is made exclusively with raw milk from mountain cows, which are fed grass in the summer and hay in the winter. The cheeses are cellar-ripened for two to six weeks.
On our French Alps Tours we visit a Savoie Reblochon Fromagerie and go behind the scenes to watch them process the cheese and produce the small circular cheese wheels. It is quite interesting to watch and requires some skill to create the wheels without molds. Watch for yourself or come along on our Tours and experience it for yourself.
