Cantal
AOP📍 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · Cantal
One of the oldest French cheeses, a semi-hard uncooked pressed cheese.
The cheese
One of the oldest French cheeses (over 2,000 years old, mentioned by Pliny the Elder), AOP Cantal is produced in the Massif Central of Auvergne from raw or pasteurized milk (raw for the best) of Salers or Montbéliarde cows. A large cylindrical wheel of 35 to 45 kg, it comes in three maturations: Cantal Jeune (1 to 2 months, lactic and fresh paste), Cantal Entre-Deux (2 to 6 months, typical and balanced), Cantal Vieux (over 6 months, fuller, spicier, with intense aromas). The uncooked pressed paste is firm but melting, from ivory to golden yellow depending on age. Tasting notes: hazelnut, butter, hay, with a piquant touch in the Vieux. Serve with Marcillac, Côtes d'Auvergne or red Saint-Pourçain, in local truffade or on a cheeseboard.