Beaufort (cheese)

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Beaufort
Loaves of the Beaufort as they ripen

The Beaufort is a French semi- hard cheese made from raw cow's milk , which is produced in the east of the Savoie department and two neighboring municipalities of the Haute-Savoie department in the French Alps. Beaufort has been a designation of origin since 1945, and a protected designation of origin (PDO) since 1996 .

properties

A mature Beaufort weighs an average of 45 kilograms. But cheeses that weigh only 20 kilograms or up to 70 kilograms are also produced. The diameter of the cylindrical loaves is 35 to 75 centimeters with a height of 11 to 16 centimeters. This means that the larger Beaufort loaves are among the largest in the world. They have a characteristic concave edge and a clean and firm yellow to brown bark. The dough is ivory to pale yellow with a few small holes and occasional cracks. Cheese packed in portions must contain a piece of the rind, which may, however, be freed from the grease. Grated cheese can no longer bear the Beaufort designation .

The fat content in the dry matter is at least 48 percent, the dry matter must be at least 61 grams per 100 grams of cheese.

history

Farm cheese making utensils in the Beaufort museum

In the 13th century, mountain farmers founded the first milk processing cooperatives in the Alps. Together they processed the milk produced by the individual farmers into large wheels of cheese, which could be easily transported into the valleys or shared among the farmers and, if necessary, could be stored for years. This is how great cheeses like Abondance and Comté were created . During the 18th century, a cheese similar to Gruyère called Grovire was made in the valleys of eastern Savoy, which are now the region of origin . The cheese was extremely popular. More than 1,000 tons of the cheese, produced in loaves of around 40 kilograms, were shipped to Paris during the French Revolution . In 1865 the Grovire was named Beaufort after the center of its manufacture, the Beaufortain . The three types produced today, Beaufort , Beaufort d'été and Beaufort chalet d'alpage, and the regulations for their manufacture reflect historical necessities. They go back to the time when cheese production helped the farming families to survive the long winters.

As early as 1945, the Beaufort was listed in a decree as a French cheese variety with the region of origin Savoy and Haute-Savoie. Beaufort became a protected designation of origin in 1968 as the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Beaufort has been a protected designation of origin (PDO) since 1996 .

The Beaufort is made in the mountainous regions of the Eastern Savoy . The area of ​​origin includes the valley of the Doron , the Tarentaise , the Maurienne and part of the Val d'Arly . The cheese may only be made from raw milk from purebred cows of the Tarentese (also called Tarine) and Abondance breeds . Almost all of the 111 municipalities in the designated area of ​​origin are located in the Savoie department and only two in the Haute-Savoie department . At least 75 percent of the cows' feed must come from the area of ​​origin, and in addition to the actual production, the cheese must also mature in the area of ​​origin. In the mid-2010s, 4,500 tons of Beaufort were produced annually in 127,000 loaves.

The Pleasant Ridge Reserve , which has been manufactured in a small cheese dairy in Wisconsin , USA since 2000 , is modeled on the Beaufort. The raw milk cheese was able to annually since 2001 three times American Cheese Society conducted competition as Best of Show win. The Tarentaise , also produced in Vermont after the Beaufort, is only a little behind the Pleasant Ridge Reserve in terms of the awards it has won.

Manufacturing

Copper kettle in a modern cheese factory

Beaufort is made in small cooperative cheese dairies exclusively from fresh, unrefrigerated raw milk. Either two production processes are carried out daily immediately after milking, or the chilled milk from a first milking run is processed with its unrefrigerated milk no longer than two hours after the next milking run. Is characteristic of the Beaufort use dried rennet stomachs of calves , which in protein reduced acid whey are inserted. This unique starter contains both thermophilic lactobacilli , mainly Lactobacillus acidophilus , which completely break down the sugar at the beginning of ripening, and rennet for curdling the milk. After cutting the curd , the mixture is of fracture and whey and heated within 35 to 45 minutes in a copper kettle at 53 ° to 54 ° C maintained for 30 to 60 minutes at this temperature. Beaufort is not produced in stainless steel containers, since the preparation in copper kettles prevents propionic acid fermentation , which is undesirable in the Beaufort . The curd is lifted out of the cauldron with a cheesecloth and placed in a wooden ring with a lid and base for pressing. After they have drained completely, the loaves are shaped and brought to the maturing cellar, where they mature on unplaned wooden boards for at least five months to longer than twelve months. During this time the loaves are rubbed with salt and turned once or twice a week.

Beaufort is produced in three types:

  • Beaufort is produced from November to May when the cows are kept in the valley and temporarily in the barn. It has a pale cream colored paste, as the cows are mostly fed with hay during this time;
  • Beaufort d'été is produced from June to October. Since the cows are kept in the pasture, the paste of the cheese is yellow in color;
  • Beaufort chalet d'alpage has the additional requirement compared to Beaufort d'été that the milk comes from cows that have been grazed at an altitude of 1500 to 2500 meters. The processed milk must come from a single herd and the milk from each milking session must be processed separately.
  • Manufacture of the Beaufort

  • Adding the rennet

  • Cutting up the thick meat with a cheese harp

  • Lifting out the break

  • Inserting the curd into the mold

  • Pressing the curd into the mold

  • Beauforts in the maturing cellar

consumption

Beaufort is an important ingredient in two Savoyard specialties, the Fondue Savoyarde and the Gratin aux Crozets . It is also suitable for all dishes with gratinated cheese and for salads with cheese. As a dessert or on a cheese platter, fresh French walnuts go well with the accompaniment. Matching wines are Pinot noir , Chardonnay and Riesling , or even a champagne, but not dry white wines.

Web links

Commons : Beaufort  - collection of images, videos and audio files

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Eric Beuvier: Beaufort . In: Catherine Donnelly (Ed.): The Oxford Companion to Cheese . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016, ISBN 978-0-19-933088-1 , pp. 63 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Publication of an amendment request under Article 6 Paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC) No. 510/2006 of the Council on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and food (PDF; 747 kB), accessed on January 31 2020
  3. ↑ Sylvie Lortal: France . In: Catherine Donnelly (Ed.): The Oxford Companion to Cheese . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016, ISBN 978-0-19-933088-1 , pp. 291-294 .
  4. ↑ Regulation (EC) No. 1107/96 of the Commission of June 12, 1996 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin in accordance with the procedure under Article 17 of Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 of the Council , accessed on January 19, 2020
  5. ^ Jeanne Carpenter: Pleasant Ridge Reserve . In: Catherine Donnelly (Ed.): The Oxford Companion to Cheese . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016, ISBN 978-0-19-933088-1 , pp. 574 .
  6. ↑ John W. Fischer: Cheese . Delmar, Clifton Park, NY 2011, ISBN 978-1-4354-0117-4 , pp. 117-118 .
  7. ↑ Juliet Harbutt (Ed.): World Cheese Book . Dorling Kindersley, London a. a. 2009, ISBN 978-0-7566-5442-9 , pp. 38-39 .