Cantal is a subtle cheese with an astonishing texture. It does not reveal its multiple flavours all at once!
For over 2,000 years men and women of the «Pays Vert» (the «Green Land») have processed milk into cheese using a special method: the coagulated milk curds are pressed before being churned, salted and, finally moulded and pressed again. The cheese is then ripened in cellars where it is brushed and turned regularly. The rind gradually takes on its rich golden colour.
The cheese gets its name from the highest peak of its production area: the «Plomb du Cantal» (6,095.80 ft). In 2006, 17 dairies and 90 farms produced 19,000 tonnes of Cantal cheese. They were ripened in 22 cellars or tunnels, and around 3,000 dairy farms produced the milk necessary for the processing.
Did you know that...
To make one wheel of Cantal you need:
- 400 litres of milk
- a minimum of 33 hours (processing time)
According to its age, the cheese is called:
- Cantal jeune (mild) : ripened from 30 to 60 days
- Cantal entre-Deux (medium) : ripened from 90 to 210 days
- Cantal vieux (mature): ripened more than 240 days