Fourme de Montbrison

The cheese

A rarer cousin of the Fourme d'Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison is born on the high pastures of the Monts du Forez, across twenty-seven villages in the Loire and five in the Puy-de-Dôme. AOC since 1972 and AOP since 2010, it sets itself apart from its neighbour through a specific technique: pre-draining, curd milling, then salting in the mass — where Fourme d'Ambert is surface-salted. Made from raw or pasteurised cow's milk, the cylindrical wheel of around 2.5 kilos ages on spruce planks, turned regularly and pierced with needles to release its characteristic blue veining. The rind takes on a distinctive orange hue, the signature of Forez ageing. Inscribed on France's intangible cultural heritage in 2018, it shines from October to April, served plain on rye, in tartifourme (a local cousin of tartiflette), or melted into a savoury waffle sauce.