Catching a Rainbow

Poitou, the ancient province of western France synonymous with the Plantagenêt kings of old, is a fitting place for such a noble cheese to have been created.

The province long since spent, has been replaced by the newer region of Poitou-Charente. Situated in western France, it is comprised of the departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne and is the home of Chabichou du Poitou.

“Chabichou du Poitou AOC,” not to be confused with Chabichou, which is also made in the area but not under the same strict guidelines, set out by the French state, is the final cheese in this section on goat’s cheese from the Loire Valley region…although it is not really a Loire cheese at all.

Poitou-Charente’s départements of Deux-Sèvres and Vienne abuts the Pays de la Loire to the north and to the west towards the Vendee and the ocean. Chabichou du Poitou is made in both Deux-Sèvres and Vienne, which is why this cheese is often grouped together with the other great goats cheese of the Loire Valley, although that link is rather tenuous as the cheese is only made in the southern part of Vienne, and these southerly départements have nothing to do with the Loire at all.

As with all the goat cheese of the Loire valley region, Chabichou du Poitou was introduced into France during the Umayyad expansionism of the 6th and 7th Centuries. The Moors who had conquered Iberia by 718 then invaded France by way of the Pyrenees and gradually moved north over the next 14 years eventually reaching the southern banks of the Loire river.

South of the Loire in the region of Poitou-Charente, Chabichou du Poitou is thought of as one of the oldest cheeses in France; but this is a misconception. The Romans introduced cheese into France in the first century AD and the goat and goat cheese did not appear until the 7th Century during the Islamic invasion. As the Moors moved north through France they left behind their knowledge of goat husbandry and goat cheese. Goat cheese is to be found south of Poitou-Charente, which would suggest that these more southerly cheeses are older than Chabichou du Poitou.

The word Chabi an abbreviation of Chabichou is said to been derived from an Arabic word for goat. The spread of goat cheese along the river Loire coincided with the Islamic invasion of the area, which came to an end in 732 when Charles Martel defeated the Moors in the Battle of Tours thus saving Europe from Muslim conquest. The Battle of Tours, commonly called the Battle of Poitiers is also known in the Islamic world as the Court of Martyrs(1.)

In 1782, Chabichou du Poitou was mentioned in a local publication ‘the travellers guide to Poitiers and the surrounding area,’2 suggesting it was a fine cheese even then. As with other goat cheese producing regions of France, the increase in production coincided with the availability of cheap land following the European phylloxera crisis in the late 1800’s. Vines grow best on stony poor quality soils, land not suitable for agriculture but eminently suitable for the rearing of goats and with the death of the vines came the renaissance of goat cheese in France.

In 1990 following the intervention of French politician Ségolène Royal, Chabichou du Poitou, acquired its AOC. In order to promote the local Chabichou cheese, she arrived at a garden party at the Palais de l'Elysée on Bastille Day dressed in the traditional Poitevin costume.


Part II


The AOC:
CHABICHOU DU POITOU

Décret du 29 juin 1990

Art. 1er. – The designation Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée “Chabichou du Poitou covers the production of milk, the making of the goats cheese its ageing and must take place in one of the following départements

The zone of production is limited to Haut-Poitou:
The southern part of Vienne,
Deux-Sèvres,
The north of Charente.

Art. 2. – For the cheese to benefit from an appellation d'origine “ Chabichou du Poitou,” it must be made from whole goats milk. It has a soft uncooked pâte, which is obtained by lactic coagulation with the addition of a small amount of rennet. Lightly salty with a fine crust covered in a light mould, white yellow or blue and made in the shape of a small cylinder called a ‘bonde’. The cheese must have as a minimum 45% fat content.
The cheese when fresh cuts cleanly with a soft fine white pâte but as the cheese matures so the texture becomes crumbly and the flavour is accentuated.

a) The goats milk used must conform to government regulations and the herd must be certificated free of Brucellosis.
b) The curds are ladled into perforated cylindrical moulds, whose interior dimensions are as follows, diameter of the base 60mm-height between 65mm and 160mm.
c) The cheese are salted either by sprinkling with dry salt or by immersion in brine.
d) The cheeses are ripened for a minimum of ten days counted from the date the milk is coagulated at a temperature between 10 and12°C and at 80-90% humidity
e) The milk must not be frozen or stored by any other means for future use.


Art. 4. – To control the quality and the place of origin for the cheese the producers and establishments where the cheese is ripened must keep up to date records of all cheese made and sold.
Art. 6. – In order to benefit from the name “Chabichou du Poitou” the words Appellation d'origine and Chabichou du Poitou must appear on the labelling and must be at least 2/3rds the size of the largest text on the packaging. This also applies to any additional packaging the cheese may be sold in.

Art. 7. – The names Farm Made or Farm cheese are reserved for those cheese made from the milk from one farm; and made on the same farm.
It also applies to Farm cheese collected and ripened elsewhere within the geographical region.

Chabichou du Poitou is made by the lactic fermentation of whole goats milk accelerated by the addition of small quantity of rennet. The milk is left to coagulate in vats for 24 hours at a temperature of 20 and 22 °C.
The coagulated curds are manually ladled into perforated cylindrical moulds where they are allowed to drain for between 18 and 24 hours. During this draining process, the cheese are turned two or three times to facilitate drainage. The cheese are then removed from their moulds, salted with either dry salt or placed in a salt bath full of brine. The newly formed “Chabichou du Poitou” are then transferred to a drying room where further spontaneous draining takes place following salting. The cheese are then kept at a temperature of between 10 and 12 °C for between 24 to 48 hours. When fully drained they are then transferred to a ripening store where they are left to mature for a minimum of ten days in a controlled atmosphere with a 80-90% humidity.
The cheese are aged for a minimum of ten days but generally two or three weeks and some are retained and aged for several months for a stronger more pronounced flavour.


Chabichou’s paste or pâte is white, smooth and creamy producing a delicate sensation on the palate. Its fine caprine odour hints at the subtlety of the cheese, which with ten days of aging is soft, mild with a tantalizing flavour. The cheese when fresh is one of the milder goats cheese in France and certainly the mildest of the six cheeses from the Loire Valley. *
It has a fine exterior, white when first made becoming progressively grey or blue as the cheese ages. When fully ripened the exterior develops small red, yellow and blue spots of mould, which are not apparent in the younger cheese. With maturity the soft and supple pâte becomes more friable and the subtle flavour becomes stronger.

Wines to go with:


The region of Poitou-Charente is not known for its fine wines. As with other goats cheese a white wine such as a Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé or a Muscadet would do very nicely. As the cheese matures consider a red Sancerre, Chinon or a
Saumur-Champigny.
To be true to the region try with a chilled glass of sweet Pineau des Charentes a local aperitif.


References:
1 Henry Coppée writes, "The same name (see ante) was given to the battle of Toulouse and is applied to many other fields on which the Moslemah were defeated: they were always martyrs for the faith" (Coppée, 1881/2002, p. 13.)
2 “Guide du voyageur à Poitiers et aux environs"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitou_Charentes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charente
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charente-Maritime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deux-S%C3%A8vres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chabichou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad

Part I.


Situated at the crossroads of three strong historical provinces of France, Selles-sur- Cher was a perfect place for one of the six famous goat cheeses of the Loire Valley to have originated.
The provinces, politically obsolete and a part of history since the reorganization of French territory in 1790 are still important to the French as a culinary nation. They are often used when referring to gastronomic regions of the country or where a product comes from that transcends the newer departmental borders… such as cheese.




The small commune situated in the centre of France within the département of Loire et Cher covers an area of 2574 hectares and has a population of 5000 Sellois and Selloise as the locals are called.


The flag of Selles-sur-Cher shows three saddles, which were incorporated into the banner in the 17th Century. The word selle is the French for saddle, but it is not clear when and where these markings arose. The heraldic banner may have been created after the cheese was named.
As for the naming of the village, Selle comes from the Latin word Cella, used to describe a monks cell in a hermitage or monastery. Saint Eusice constructed a hermitage in the département of Cher soon after the arrival of Christianity in France, around 500 A.D. On his death in 540 a roman style basilica was built over his tomb on the flood plain of the river Cher and became known as the Celle of Saint Eusice or the Celle sur Cher and eventually Selle-sur-Cher…the saddles were an additional extra and quite possible a play on the original word celle.



As with many other cheeses in France, Selles-sur-Cher was named after the village or town in which it was first made. Today, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée extends to over fourteen Cantons situated in the Champagne Berrichonne area, Basse Sologne and Cher itself. The permitted area of production also extends into the nearby departments of Loir-et-Cher, l’Indre and further east along the valley of the River Cher.
This area of France is not particularly fertile, interspersed as it is with numerous small lakes, ponds and marshland which are in curious opposition to the low hills, scrubland and sprawling heaths covered in hardy aromatic plants, ideal forage for goats, essential for the cheese giving a depth of character which lush grass could not provide.

In the beginning, and it is not clear when that was, Selles-sur-Cher was exclusively a farm produced product. Enough milk was taken to make enough cheese for the farmer, his family and the local community.
A formal written record of how and when the cheese was first made was not written down, but was passed from mother to daughter, father to son through the ages.
It was not until the beginning of the 19th Century that a farmer native to the region stated that he had been taught how to make the cheese by his mother and she by her mother before her and he laid claim to the heritage of this cheese. The farmer went onto say that the cheese then called Selles, was named after the pottery moulds or faisselles in which the cheese was first drained. It is of course possible but a great many French cheeses are drained using small china or earthenware pots, but only one has the name Selles; his story is not convincing. It is probable that the history of this cheese will never be fully known.
Later, travelling vendors who passed through the region collecting local produce from local farms for re-sale elsewhere made a good trade buying and selling cheese, in particular the Selles-sur-Cher. Many cheeses were bought fresh, as they were cheaper but they were also more fragile. It was therefore necessary to store the cheese, allow them to ripen and thus develop a firmer texture prior to transportation and eventual sale. The main centre for storage and refining was the village of Selles-sur-Cher- and the local cheese took on the name of the village.

More recently several cheese producers grouped together and formed the Syndicat de Défense du Selles-sur-Cher. The organisation created in 1972 with a view to obtaining the coveted AOC for Selles-sur-Cher achieved its goal in 1975 and was only the second goats cheese in France do so after Pouligny Saint Pierre.


What the AOC says:
SELLES-SUR-CHER

29 December 1986 as amended:

1. The appellation d'origine "Selles-sur-Cher" is reserved for goat cheese made in a specific region and covers the production of the milk, the delivery of the milk, the fabrication of the cheese and the final ripening before sale. All must take place within the strict geographical area as laid out by statute
2. The milk can only come from herds officially certificated as being free from Brucellosis.
3. The production of the milk, the making of the cheese and its ripening must all take place within the following geographical regions:

Département de Loir-et-Cher
Arrondissement de Blois
Arrondissement de Romorantin-Lanthenay

Département de l'Indre
Arrondissement de Châteauroux
Arrondissement d'Issoudun

Département du Cher
Arrondissement de Vierzon

4. The cheese benefiting from the label Appellation d'Origine "Selles-sur-Cher" is obtained by a method of lactic coagulation of goat’s milk with the addition of a small amount of rennet.
5. The cheese must weigh as minimum 200g when fresh and has a soft pâte covered with a light mould.
6. The cheese dusted with powdered charcoal and salt, must have a minimum of 45% fat per 100g when fully dried.
7. The total weight of dry material must not be less than 55g for each cheese.
8. The moulds used to make the cheese are slightly conical in shape, although shallow must be no smaller than 9.5 cm and must be filled by ladle.
9. The cheese must be ripened for a minimum of ten days including the day they are made.
10. To control production and quality detailed records must be kept by both the manufacturers and the refiners of the cheese and must include such details as the quantity of milk used and the number of cheese made. Theses ledgers must be maintained daily.
11. Labelling of cheese awarded the denomination appellation d'origine "Selles-sur-Cher" must carry the name appellation d'origine written in letters and the characters must be no less than two thirds the size of any other lettering used on the packaging.
12. The logo of the I.N.A.O., the mention of the "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" and the name of the appellation must all appear on the packaging of Selles-sur-Cher.

Part II.

Traditional in shape the Selles-sur-Cher is a cheese made from raw un-pasteurised goats milk with a soft paste or pâte. It is a small cylindrical cheese with slightly sloping sides, being smaller in diameter at the top than at the base. The cheese is 8 to 9.5cm in diameter, depending on the age of the cheese, and no thicker than two or three centimetres. It has a fine outer rind, which is evenly covered in a blue-grey mould as well as an even coating of pulverised charcoal and salt. The depth of colour depends on the age of the cheese.
Initially the milk is heated to a temperature of 18/20° for between 16 and 30 hours and the curds are then carefully ladled into moulds. The moulds, perforated on the base and sides facilitate draining, which continues for 24 hours.

The cheese when first formed is fragile and must be left undisturbed to allow a fully homogenised pâte to form, if not the cheese would easily break up whilst being removed from the moulds.
They are then removed from the formers, dusted with charcoal and salt, which prevents the cheese drying out by absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, as well as helping with the refining process. Originally the charcoal would have been from vines from the Touraine region, a local wine producing area but now industrial charcoal is used.
The newly formed Selles-sur-Cher’s are then stored between 12 and 15° at a constant 85-95% humidity, for a minimum of ten days.

When first ripened the cheese has an almost brilliant white pâte, smooth, soft and melting. As the cheese matures the texture becomes firmer and the colour changes from white to that of pale ivory. Although as with other goats cheese there is a dominant nutty taste, Selles-sur-Cher has a prominent sour bite with a slightly bitter aftertaste, which is long on the palate. This attribute is more pronounced in the outer rind of the cheese and for this reason many people chose to remove it before eating, but by doing this much of the character of this wonderful cheese is lost.


Wines to go with Selles-sur-Cher:

Touraine
Valençay.
Côteaux du Cher.


References
http://www.fromages.com/cheese_library_detail.php?id_fromage=46
http://www.maison-du-lait.com/Prodlait/AOC/Selles.html
http://www.mairie-selles-sur-cher.fr/decouvrir/jumelage.php
http://www.cheesereporter.com/Parker/Parker.june16.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/04/FDGBICGTKU1.DTL

© Malcolm Hamilton 2006 and 2007.

Of all the animals domesticated by Man, the goat was one of the first. They were small, easily transportable, and could withstand a nomadic existence as well as extremes of weather.
Around 8000B.C., farmers in the Eastern Mediterranean began keeping small herds of goats for meat, their skins but more importantly for milk. The goat was a mobile food supply providing a healthy food, easy to digest and eminently suitable for infants. The milk when made into cheese keeps well and suited the nomadic life of the people at that time.

History tells us that the Cyclops, Polyphemus- who appears in The Odyssey, is described moulding goats curd in small moulds made from rush. Both Ulysses and The Romans enjoyed goat’s cheese as well as their respective gods Bacchus and Dionysus… who were partial to eating them dipped in olive oil.

Goat cheese spread round the Mediterranean with the Islamic conquest of the area by the Saracens. They eventually invaded France from Spain and for the next 25 years steadily moved north; taking with them their goats and their cheese.

Towards the end of the 8th Century, the Muslims reached the Loire River a major route of commerce and transportation, which would accelerate the spread of goat cheese along its southern bank. As an invading force the Saracens did not cross the river and the Islamic occupation came to an end on October the 10th in the year 732 when they were finally defeated and repelled at the Battle of Tours. The Saracens were forced south but left behind their goats and their knowledge of goat’s cheese.

The Saracen occupation of the southern Loire lands would account for the numerous goats’ cheese to be found south of the river, such as:


1. Chabichou du Poitou- AOC in 1990-location.
2. Crottin de Chavignol - AOC in 1976-location.
3. Pélardon des Cevennes - AOC in 2000-location.
4. Pouligny Saint Pierre - AOC in 1972-location.
5. Sainte-Maure de Touraine - AOC in 1990-location.
6. Selles sur Cher - AOC in 1975-location.
7. Valençay - AOC in 1998-location.


Taking into consideration the regionalistic nature of French food and cheese being no exception; once a product has been developed in an area, history shows that it will not leave that region, which is what the AOC system was invented to enforce.
The fact that the Saracens did not cross the natural obstacle of the river would account for the fact that there are so few goat cheeses north of the River Loire and none officially in Brittany.
The only goat’s cheese to be found in Loire-Atlantique, the former region of Brittany is the Trois cornes de Vendee traditionally made near Chaillé which is also made south of the river


AOC Goats cheese and the date granted.

1. 1972 Pouligny Saint Pierre.
2. 1975 Selles sur Cher.
3. 1976 Crottin de Chavignol.
4. 1983 Picodon.
5. 1988 Cabecou.
6. 1990 Chabichou du Poitou.
7. 1990 Sainte-Maure de Touraine.
8. 1996 Rocamadour.
9. 1998 Valençay.
10. 2000 Pélardon des Cevennes.
11. 2002 Chevrotin des Aravis.
12. 2003 Banon.




©Malcolm Hamilton 2006.


References
http://www.fromagesdechevre.com/pages/frameset.aspx?p=/pages/static/histoire/his_p1_en.shtml
http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/goats.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Franc_map_with_Loire_highlighted.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_tours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitiers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poitiers_%281356%29
http://www.recettes-et-terroirs.eu/produit_detail-13-727-1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nazaire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pays-de-la-Loire
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&ukwidth=289&ukheight=301&scale=2000000&lang=&overviewmap=FR_over&db=&g.x=70&g.y=137
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capra_hircus

Part I

To say that cheese is a solid food made from milk is akin to saying a motorcar is red, there are a greater number of different cheeses, worldwide, than there are varieties of car.

Milk is the main ingredient be it from a cow, sheep, goat or in fact almost any mammal; and as the milk is similar, so is the method of manufacturing.
Cheese is made by curdling milk either by acidulation, which can include the addition of vinegar as well as lemon juice, or by the natural acidulation caused by the addition of bacteria.
The addition of specific bacterium assists the conversion of milk sugar into lactic acid, the acidulation stage, followed by the addition of rennet to complete the curdling process.

The final character of a cheese depends on a great many variables and it is because they are so numerous that the end product can be different not only from country to country, but from region to region; or even varying depending on which field the animals have grazed.

The myriad of cheeses available comes in a variety of style and flavours. Their character and physical appearance depending on the region they come from, the type of milk used, the strains of bacteria and mould used, the differing levels of fat, length of time left to age and the differing methods of production.

The word cheese from the Latin caseus, which in turn became cīese or cēse in old English, which gave rise to chese in Middle English.
Cheese is undoubtedly old.
It is so old that it is no longer clear if it’s making was discovered or invented, but either probably happened in the Middle East or Asia around 8000 BC. The earliest archaeological evidence for cheese making equipment has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, dating to about 2300 BC.

Ancient Greek mythology credited Aristaeus with the discovery of cheese. Homer's Odyssey (8th century BCE) describes the Cyclops making and storing sheep's and goats' milk cheese. (From Samuel Butler's translation):

“We soon reached his cave, but he was out shepherding, so we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold...
When he had so done he sat down and milked his ewes and goats, all in due course, and then let each of them have her own young. He curdled half the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers...”
Columella's De Re Rustica (circa 65 CE) also details a cheese making process involving coagulation by the use of rennet, pressing the curd, salting, and finally aging.
Pliny's Natural History (77 CE) devotes a chapter (XI, 97) to describing the diversity of cheeses enjoyed by Romans of the early Empire. He stated that the best cheeses came from the villages near N?mes, but did not keep long and had to be eaten fresh. It is not clear if this town was Nimes in southern France.

The spread of the Roman Empire spread cheese manufacturing through out Europe. And just as the rise of the Roman Empire spread the making of cheese through the continent, the fall of that empire also allowed local cheese makers to develop their own styles and methods of cheese making independently.

Credit for the discovery of cheese most likely goes to nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia, around the same time that they developed yoghurt.
A common tale about the discovery of cheese tells of an Arab nomad carrying milk across the desert in a container made from an animal's stomach, only to discover the milk had been separated into curd and whey by the residue of rennet in the stomach.



France is the worlds leading exporter of cheese accounting for over $2,500,000 US annually.


click graph to enlarge.
Surprisingly, France is not the leading producer of cheese.


click graph to enlarge

That title goes to the USA, which produces more than 30% of world demand. However, much of the American cheese is processed and factory produced and is not what the rest of the world would call cheese.
Nor are the French the greatest consumers of cheese that record goes to the Greeks.

French cheese is of course the most famous and recognisable of all cheese producing countries. Currently the French produce more than 300 official types of cheese, many of them awarded the AOC.
Charles de Gaulle once asked, "How can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?"[1])

There used to be a French cheese for every day of the year, but now they are beginning to struggle a little. The huge variety of good quality cheese is now restricted to markets such as Rungis, or specialist cheese shops and the cheese offered by the majority of supermarkets is of questionable quality.
As in Great Britain small specialist cheese producers are springing up through out France, making small quantities of wonderful cheese, but as in Great Britain because these manufacturers are restricted to one or possibly two farms the cheeses they produce do not make it onto to the Nations cheese platter.
A loss for the nation but a treasure for the locals.

Having talked about French cheese in general, perhaps I should now turn my attention to French cheese in particular and the wonderful variety that exits.






References and Acknowledgments

1 Quoted in Newsweek, October 1, 1962 according to The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations (Columbia University Press, 1993 ISBN 0-2310719-4-9 p 345). Numbers besides 246 are often cited in very similar quotes; whether these are misquotes or whether de Gaulle repeated the same quote with different numbers is unclear.

© Malcolm Hamilton 2006

The spread of goat’s cheese along the course of the Loire valley is well documented, but the rapid expansion of cheese production, in the region since the mid 1800’s, was primarily due to the sudden availability of cheap land.





The small rural community of Chavignol, only a few miles from the picturesque hill top settlement of Sancerre; famous for its wine, is an unassuming village not noted in the guidebooks, but which is the home to the most famous goats cheese of them all… the Crottin de Chavignol.

The Chavignol or as it is referred to in France, with endearment, ‘Le Crottin,’ can be made in only three départements of France: Cher, Nièvre and Loiret, all three surround the tiny village.
Within these three départements there are 213 communes, which have a connection with the cheese, making it an important economic consideration for the region.
More than 20 million cheeses are made each year made from 14 million litres of milk, which is produced by the 33000 goats living in the region.

The cheap land, which gave rise to the growth in goat farms, an increase in milk production and hence more cheese; came about in the mid 1800’s.
Someone’s loss is always someone else’s gain and is certainly true for the Crottin de Chavignol.

In 1863, several batches of vines in the Southern Rhône region of France began to show signs of sickness. Over the next few years more and more vineyards were reporting a problem, not only in France, but in many other European wine producing areas as well.
The European vine, Vitis vinifera was dying.
It mattered neither the region nor the pedigree of the vine- be they owned by the ever so humble peasant or the great families such as the Latour’s, or the Rothchild’s, Phylloxera did not discriminate, it had no class preference… it killed all.

By 1875 two and a half million square kilometres were affected and wine production in France feel by 80%.
Hundreds of thousands of people faced ruin, fortunes were lost; but the humble goat was about to seize the day.


Part II

With the loss of the vines, the vineyards became bare patches of scrubland not suitable for arable farming but ideal for rearing goats and with the increase in goats came the Crottin Chavignol.

Goats have been kept in the region of Sancerre since at least the 16th Century.
In his work
‘Histoire mémorable du siège de Sancerre’ (1574); ‘The memorable history of the siege of Sancere,’ circa (1574)- Jean de Lery, a French writer and traveller wrote concerning the siege,
“ The skin of bulls, cows and of goats were soaked peeled scraped and chopped…” Why he does not make clear but goats there were and in number.

The first written reference to the cheese was made in 1928, when Hugues Lapaire wrote in "Le Berry vu par un berrichon" concerning the manufacture of Crottin Chavignol…
“It demands a lot of patience and care. Having been turned and re-turned they are left in a loft and then in a cool cave…”
Lapaire, Hugues, Le Berry vu par un Berrichon, Paris, Librairie universitaire J. Gamber, 1928.

The lineage of the word Crottin is unusual, unsure and equally unreliable.
The word ‘Crottin’ or ‘Crot’ probably comes from a type of clay oil lamp, which used to be made in the region, the same size and shape as the cheese mould now used to form the cheese.
A Crot is also a traditional Berry word meaning a hole, but with special reference to water holes or locations in a river where women used to collect to wash their clothes. The clay that formed these water holes was collected and used to make the small earthenware lamps.
Over time the word Crot evolved into Crottin; as was noted by a government official in 1829 whilst recording information about goats, in the département of Cher…

“their milk is not clean enough to make butter but one can make a very fine cheese that the people of Sancerre have known under the name of Crotins de Chavignolles.”

One other story is that the word Crottin came about due to the appearance of the cheese as it matured. Crottin is also a slang word for dung and as the cheese gets older, the "Crottin" gets harder and browner and tends to look more like horse dung.

Regardless of the history, the manufacturers of this fine cheese wished to preserve their rights to the cheese’s production for future generations and began working to have the cheese included in the list of French products which have an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. In the early 1970’s the producers of Crottin de Chavignol united as one professional body to work together to obtain certification for their cheese.


The AOC.
On the 13th February 1976 the ‘Crottin de Chavignol’ and the ‘Chavignol,’ the same cheese, received their AOC and their protected geographical status was assured.
The original law of 1976 was later repealed and replaced by the order of the 29th December 1986, which further enforced the original declaration.

The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée is restricted to the cheese "Crottin de Chavignol" and "Chavignol." Cheeses merely called Chèvre or Crottin are not covered even if they are made within the designated area.
The production of milk; the fabrication of the cheese, the ripening and storage must all take place within the confines of a set geographical region around the village of Chavignol.
In addition the milk used must be free of Brucellosis and only under certain circumstances can frozen curds be used.

The other criteria are:

1. The cheese must be made by lactic coagulation.
2. Some slight pressing of the curds is permitted.
3. There can be some pre-drainage.
4. The curds are set in cylindrical moulds between 5 and 5.5cm in diameter with a minimal height of 5cm.
5. After salting the cheese is dried and ripened.
6. The cheese must have a minimum fat content of 45%.
7. The total weight of dry milk solids must not be less than 37grams for each cheese.
8. The cheese must be ripened for a minimum of ten days from the date of manufacture.
9. A daily record of milk delivered and the number of cheeses made must be kept by each producer and must be available for viewing by the inspectors of the AOC.

In addition to the above, the name "Fabrication fermière" or "fromage fermière " or any other combination suggesting the cheese is made on a farm, can only be used where the cheese is made from milk coming from that same farm. No milk can be brought in if it is to be called fermière.

How it is made.



The Crottin Chavignol is made from raw un-pasteurised goats milk, which after coagulation is lightly pressed to remove excess liquid.
The curds are then kept at a temperature of 20°C for 24 hours and the whey allowed to drain through cheesecloth naturally.

The curds are then placed in small moulds, originally made of clay dug locally, but now of plastic. The newly formed cheese are turned regularly by hand whilst still in the mould, which gives the cheese its slightly round edged appearance- so characteristic of a true Crottin. The cheese is then removed from the moulds, salted and allowed to dry naturally for a minimum of ten days.








Part III


Flavour and Character.

The flavour of Crottin de Chavignol is subtle with slightly nutty undertones. It is one of few cheeses whose flavour and character change through the maturing process.

In its youth, the pâte is soft, creamy, although compact. The rind is slightly crenelated and can have a white downy appearance.
As it ripens, the pâte becomes firmer, denser and yet at the same time crumbly.
The colour changes from white to ivory to yellow and when fully aged a deep ochre, that is the base colour.
Overlying this background are the footlights of bluish mould varying in intensity and amount from cheese to cheese. As the cheese ripens, it loses water and as a consequence not only does the size and weight of the cheese reduce but the flavour becomes distinctly stronger.
When fully ripe the Crottin Chavignol become almost brittle, and by many are considered to be at their very best. During its lifetime one or another of the characteristics of this great cheese appeal to almost all lovers of cheese, thus making it the most popular goat cheese in France.




Each phase of the ripening process has a different name, each stage being different from the previous and the next.
- Doux: A soft delicate cheese appreciated for the mild goat flavour
- Mi-sec: Becoming firm with a more pronounced flavour dark ivory in colour.
- Plus âgé: Lightly floured with a fine mould, either blue or white acquiring a certain finesse as the cheese ages.
- Bleu: A definite aroma of mushrooms develops, which tends to be lost when cooked.
- Sec: The full aroma of walnut and hazelnuts comes to the fore. The cheese is hard but not brittle.
- le "repassé:” hard, brittle with a strong salty taste, adored by some too strong for others, they are usually stored in pots covered with lard or oil. (not to be confused with goats cheese marinated in oil which have normally only reached the Bleu or Sec stage of ripening.



The taste of the cheese has a characteristic goat flavour, subtle in the spring…more pronounced in the autumn. Often eaten at the end of a meal, like many cheeses but also used in cooking.
The Crottin Chavignol is the perfect cheese for grilling, it does not melt and run- but browns and intensifies in flavour as it cooks. Ideal for grilled goat cheese salad.




Wines to go with Crottin Chavignol
click on the below links.
Sauvignon de St Bris
Sancerre rouge.
Sancerre.
Pouilly Fumé.
Menetou Salon.
Quincy.
Reuilly.

©Malcolm Hamilton 2006.

Half way between Bourges and Tours in the département of Indre overlooking the gently flowing Nahon River, one finds the small town of Valençay.
The town, famous for its cheese, is also renowned for the impressive Château de Valençay nestled on top of a low hill surveying all at its feet.

The impressive building, acquired by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord Prince de Benevente in 1803 was thanks to the financial help of Napoleon Bonaparte the then Emperor of France. It is owing to Napoleon, some say, that Valençay the cheese has such a curious shape.

The unusual form of Valençay - a squat truncated pyramid, was said to have been invented by a peasant draining his cheese in an old cake tin; thus giving the cheese its curious shape – a little mundane for such a fine cheese.

The second story, full of intrigue and much more appealing involves none other than his highness…Napoleon Bonaparte. In March 1798, Napoleon undertook a military expedition to capture Egypt, in the hope of protecting French trade interests and frustrating British access to India. The campaign was a disaster and upon his return Bonaparte is said to have spent time at the Château de Valençay, a guest of the Prince.
One evening, whilst dining at the chateau the prince served the local cheese, which he thought would be a novel idea. On seeing the Valençay, which at the time was pyramidal in shape Napoleon went into a fearful rage, drew his sword and cut the top off the cheese. How true this is one can but guess, but the reason behind this outburst was that Napoleon, following the campaign, could not face seeing another pyramid, even if it was only a cheese.

The AOC of Valençay was awarded in 1998 and covers the production of the milk as well as its fabrication, ripening and storage, all of which must be carried out within the regions of production. The départements covered are, Loir-et-Cher (41), Indre-et-Loire (37), Indre (36) and Cher (18).
In addition the goats used to produce the cheese must be one of two breeds, the Alpine or Saanen variety, or a direct cross between the two.

Valençay is a goat’s milk cheese made from un-pasteurised whole milk. It is made by a process of lactic fermentation, although a little rennet is permitted.
The AOC specifically bans the use of homogenised milk in the production of Valençay as this would speed up the coagulation of the curds and affect the final character of the cheese.
Homogenisation occurs when milk is forced through a small nozzle at high pressure, this mechanical process breaks down the fat globules into much smaller ones and creates a stable fat emulsion.
Once coagulation is complete the curds are placed in plastic moulds to drain.




The cheese are left in moulds for between 24 and 36 hours so allowing a spontaneous drainage without the need for any pressure. Once removed from the moulds they are sprinkled with salt and powdered charcoal and placed in a well-ventilated store with a high humidity (80%). The Valençay must remain in the ripening rooms until the 11th day or, until an even crust of blue grey mould has naturally formed. Although often served fresh, when the cheese has a light pleasant citrus flavour they can be matured for up to five weeks.

Valençay is made in the form of a truncated pyramid and when ripened has a distinctive blue grey floury crust, which has fine cracks and crenulations over the surface.
Coming from the old province of Berry it is a close neighbour to Pouligny-Saint-Pierre but is squatter and has a firmer texture. As with Pouligny the fodder on which the goats feed, pines, heather and sainfoin, are critical in giving the cheese its characteristic taste; which when young fresh and citric but as the cheese ages a rich nutty aroma and flavour develops.

Wines to go with:
If you are able to find the wine called Valençay then this is said to be the perfect accompaniment to the cheese of the same name. Valency wine is hard to find in the UK however Domaine des Huards Cheverny, Domaine du Salvard Cheverny AC and Domaine Hubert Brochard would all go well with this famous cheese.


References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_B%C3%A9gu%C3%A9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand
http://www.wineterroirs.com/2004/10/clos_du_chateau.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainfoin
http://pcombal.club.fr/valencayanglais.html

St-Maure de Touraine


Thirty miles south of Tours, in the central region of France, one finds St-Maure de Touraine- the home of a famous cheese of the same name.

The commune of approximately 40,000 people, situated in a low-lying area of the département Indre et Loire is at the centre of what was the ancient département of Touraine.
The Départements came into existence on the 4th January 1790 replacing the country’s former provinces, in an attempt to fully homogenise France as one nation by removing cultural and regional differences. The new sub-regions or départements were usually named after the predominant river or other physical feature of the region. Touraine was replaced by the départements of Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher and Indre all named after rivers. The cheese is also made in a fourth neighbouring département, that of the Vienne.

St-Maure de Touraine is made in the shape of a cylinder, log or bûche, in French, approximately 16-18cm long, 4.5 - 5.5cm in diameter.
It is made from raw or un-pasteurised goats milk and has a soft ivory-coloured smooth, homogeneous texture with a blue-grey edible rind. Each cheese weighs about 250 g and the use of frozen curds, as used by some other cheese manufacturers, is not permitted. The characteristic grey tint is formed when the cheese is sprinkled with charcoal powder; the blue colouration is a natural mould, which develops during maturation.

The raw milk is heated to 64-68oF when the rennet is added. The milk is left to coagulate for 24 hours and placed, by hand, in specially made curved moulds. The cheese drains naturally, but some light pressing is now also permitted.

The new cheese is removed from its mould, sprinkled with charcoal and salt and allowed to mature for a minimum of ten days.
After ten days the exterior of the cheese is pale cream in colour, it has a soft delicate texture but the characteristic mould has not yet developed. During the ageing process, the cheese is turned every day by hand and the pale mould begins to grow.
After three weeks the mould has darkened and the cheese has lost some of its weight and size. After five weeks the mould becomes more pronounced, but with a dry appearance and the pâte has a firm texture with a round balance flavour. The finished cheese has a 45% milk fat content.

Apart from the distinctive shape, the main feature of a true St Maure is the addition of a piece of natural straw, which runs through the cheeses on its long axis.
Primarily placed to help keep this delicate and fragile cheese in one piece whilst it is being handled, the straw is also a label. The producers name and address is stamped on the straw before it is placed inside the cheese so as to identify one cheese from another.

Traditionally St Maure is cut using a blunt knife so ensuring the straw is not cut and the cut portion is removed from the rest of the cheese using a fork, similar to the way meat is pulled off a Kebab skewer. The straw is left in the cheese for the information of the next person.
The St-Maure de Touraine should not be confused with the factory produced St Maure, which has neither AOC nor straw. The authentic article is called the St-Maure de Touraine.

There are currently 241 farm producers as well as 8 dairies and cooperatives permitted to make the cheese and one company who are permitted to age it.
Currently there are 232 milk producers who strive to produce a first quality product, which goes into making the 1,140 tons of St-Maure de Touraine made each year.
This king amongst kings was awarded an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée that came into being on the 29th June 1990, and was a modification of earlier directive dated 11th September 1998.

Sainte Maure is a masterpiece of the cheese maker’s craft. It has the characteristic goat cheese flavour, slightly acidic but nonetheless balanced when young, developing into a rich firm cheese with a hint of walnut and salt as the cheese matures. Soft and creamy in its infancy- becoming firm yet friable with age.

St-Maure de Touraine is wonderful eaten as part of a meal, or used in cooking in cooking. Many wines complement this cheese but surprisingly the dry whites of the Loire- Sancerre, and Pouilly Fume tend to be a little too acidic for St Maure de Touraine; a softer more rounded wine seem to complement the cheese better.

What to drink with St-Maure de Touraine.

Beaujolais,
Rose
Vouvray
Champagne





References.
http://www.cniel.com/Prodlait/AOC/Tourai.html
http://www.sainte-maure-de-touraine.fr/
http://www.fromages.com/cheese_library_detail.php?id_fromage=44
http://www.tourisme.fr/office-de-tourisme/sainte-maure-de-touraine.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9partement_in_France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touraine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienne
http://www.inao.gouv.fr/public/home.php
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/index.pasp?

Produced in or around any of the 22 communes of ‘le Blanc du Berry’ and at the heart of the National Park of ‘La Brenne,’ Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is the smallest cheese-producing region to have obtained an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée for its product…the Pouligny-Saint-Pierre.

The region alternatively called the "pays des mille étangs", or the land of a thousand lakes forms part of what was the old region of Berry, some 21000Km2 at the heart of France.
Divided since 1790, it now comprises three départements of France; Indre: Cher: and Vienne…the cheese is only made in the département of Indre.

The countryside undulates from one low hill to another and is covered with vast stands of trees, sprawling heath land covered in heather and interspersed with grey rocky outcrops. The soils are poor and were it for but one fact they would be of very little use…the floras.
The countryside is stippled with a myriad of scented and aromatic low trees and shrubs which are not only a perfect fodder for goats, but make a wonderfully aromatic cheese laced with a natural sweet-smelling fragrance.

The Cheese is known affectionately as the ‘Tour d’Eiffel’ as well as the less imaginative ‘Pyramid.’
There are several Pyramid shaped cheeses in France and all seem to be grouped together and given this name…there is only Pouligny- Saint-Pierre.














The Church steeple in the centre of the village inspired the shape of the cheese, or so the story goes. Whether true or not it was the first cheese in France to use this classic shape.
In the 18th Century moulds of wood or straw were used to make the cheese, which gave it its characteristic shape, and set it apart from other cheese producers at the time.
It won a gold medal in the Grand Exposition of 1900, held in Paris, which is where it got its nickname ‘The Eiffel Tower.’
In the 1960’s, two dairy companies were formed to mass-produce the cheese and in 1969 a syndicate, the ‘L'Union des Producteur du Pouligny,’ was created to defend and promote Pouligny St-Pierre as a brand. Work then began to obtain the AOC.

The annual production of the cheese is 350 tons, with an increase of 90% between 1989 and 1999. Farm production is the most important accounting for 60% of the total cheese produced.

AOC:

POULIGNY-SAINT-PIERRE received its AOC en 1972, which was later modified in 1989 and now covers two sizes of the same cheese.

1. ‘Pouligny-Saint-Pierre,’ and the smaller,
2. ‘Petit Pouligny-Saint-Pierre.’


The AOC of "Pouligny-Saint-Pierre" is reserved for goat’s cheese and covers the production of milk, delivery and ripening of the cheese, which must all be carried out within the region of production.
The milk must be certified as being free from Brucellosis and can only be produced the following areas:
1. Mauvières et Saint-Hilaire-sur-Bénaize, in the Canton of Bélâbre.
2. The commune d'Azay-le-Ferron; in the Canton de Mézières-en-Brenne.
3. And, in any of the communes of the Canton Tournon-Saint-Martin.

The smaller variety of the same cheese, "Petit-Pouligny-Saint-Pierre," is made in a smaller mould producing a cheese with the base between 30 and 70mm and a height of 85mm, but to all intents and purposes the cheese is the same.
The name "Fabrication fermière" or "fromage fermière " or any other combination suggesting the cheese is made on a farm, can only be used where the cheese is made from milk coming from that same farm. No milk can be brought in if it is to be called fermière and frozen curds must not be used in Fermière cheese.

The certificate "Appellation d'origine Contrôlée" and the name must be clearly shown on any packaging and the cheese is checked every month by a controlling body to verify that taste texture and appearance of the cheese lives up to the standards set down in French law.
There are two types of labelling and packaging; green for farm produced cheese and red for Dairy or cooperative made cheese.


Description and how it is made:

"Pouligny-Saint-Pierre" is a cheese made exclusively from un-pasteurised whole goats milk. The goats, Alpine breeds of Saanen and Poitevine produce a good quality milk ideal for this fantastic cheese.

It is made from principally a lactic fermentation although some rennet is added which must come from the fourth stomach of a goat. The curds are left for 18 hours before being placed into shaped moulds, and left for a further 24 to 36 hours. The cheese is then removed from the moulds, salted all over and allowed to ripen for a minimum of ten days.

The exterior of the cheese, which is white when young turning to deep ochre as the cheese gets older is often covered with an intense blue mould. The colour or bleutée in French varies from cheese to cheese and is in contrast to the bright white colour of the interior.

Flavour and Character:

The cheese, slightly more acidic than some, has a characteristic straw flavour with a pronounced soft goat’s milk taste.
In the mouth the acidity is soon replaced by a hint of walnut, which softens and leaves a distinctive aftertaste that comes from the plants the animals feed on.


Season:

June and October although good between March and December.



Wine Suggestions to go with Pouligny St-Pierre

Reuilly,
Quincy,
Menetou-Salon,
Sancerre
Sauvignon de Touraine

Époisses de Bourgogne is a cheese made in the village of Époisses, which can be found in the département of Côte-d’Or; between Dijon and Auxerre.

As the sixteenth century dawned, Époisses was home to a community of Cistercian monks who resided at L'Abbaye de Citeaux.
It was the monks who developed and perfected the recipe for this wonderfully aromatic, some say pungent cheese.

Two hundred years later the monks were gone, but the tradition of cheese making remained in the community and continues to this day.
Époisses- a famous cheese, so beloved by Napoleon and crowned by the celebrated Brillat-Savarin as the ‘King of Cheese,’ although now popular, disappeared from French cheese boards between 1914 and 1950 production halted during the two world wars.

The milk used in the production comes from three local varieties of cow the Brune, Simmental Française and the Montbéliarde. The pâte is lightly pressed and is ripened for eight weeks in humid caves in the Burgundian countryside. Regularly hand washed with water enriched with Marc de Bourgogne the cheese gradually develops its characteristic appearance and heady spicy aroma. Although available all year round the best cheese is made from summer milk becoming available in the early autumn- or right now!

A small handful of resolute producers lead by the Berthaut family decided to re-launch the cheese in 1954 making it in the same way it had been made for centuries.
A good Époisses has a soft rind, smooth and brilliant- pale orange with a light coloured pâte, rich and supple. It has a 50% fat content and has a flat cylindrical shape. It is made in two sizes 250g-350g and 700g – 1100g.

As the cheese matures it develops different characteristics and can be eaten at different times through the maturing process.
At thirty days old the cheese is firm with a grainy pâte and a distinct yeasty tang. As the cheese ages the rind softens becomes darker and stickier and a pungent spicy aroma develops.

The cheese needs a big white burgundy to complement it, however some prefer a Sauterne. Locally the cheese is often served with a glass of Marc de Bourgogne a spirit distilled from fermented grape skins, which have been used to make wine.

Époisses has been classified as AOC since 1991.
There are now three dairy producers of Époisses and one farm producer who have united to for the syndicate for the defence of Époisses.

Buy a wine to go with Époisses

Sauterne.
Red Burgundy.
Marc de Bourgogne.


References
http://www.fromage-Époisses .com/uk/Époisses /historique/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_cheese
http://www.fromagerie-berthaut.com/htmlfr/p02_2a.htm

http://www.trenel.com/liqueurs/en_tres_vieux_marc.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9B03E7DA153BF93AA2575AC0A9679C8B63

Special thanks to
EN ROUTE: FRANCE; A Fine Roughness: On the Trail of a Spirit Called Marc
By R. W. APPLE JR.
Published: September 19, 2001 ©

The Loire River named after the silt it produces in such great quantities, wends its way from its source in the southern part of the Cévennes highlands to the Atlantic Ocean near St Nazaire.
The Loire, the longest river in France some 10,000 Km long drains more than a 20% of the country and flows through some of the most fertile and productive areas of Europe let alone France.
To the West, bordering the vastness of the Atlantic, one finds the Pays de la Loire or the Land of the Loire. The name is a confusing moniker for this area of France; as it only comprises a few départements through which the river snakes, and is only one of the 26 regions of France as a whole.
However, the region of Pays de la Loire not only includes the ancient département of Loire Atlantique, once part of Brittany; but Brittany proper lies only a few miles north of the River crossing at St Nazaire.

The valley of the Loire is the home to some of the finest cheeses in France, particularly goat cheese. Names such as