Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage
The Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage , formerly Bleu du Vercors or Bleu de Sassenage , is a mold cheese from the Rhône-Alpes region , made from cow's milk . It comes from the Massif du Vercors and the place Sassenage at the foot of the massif.
It has had the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) label since July 30, 1998 and a protected designation of origin (AOP) of the European Union since March 15, 2001 .
Origin and characteristics
Originally made by monks , Baron de Sassenage authorized its marketing in 1338. Other sources say that the rural population delivered cheese to the Lord of Sassenage and thus paid their taxes.
According to the specifications of the AOC, only milk from the Abondance , Montbéliarde and Villarde mountain cattle breeds (the protection of the Appelation saves the Villarde cattle breed from extinction) may be used for cheese production. The animals are grazed in summer and fed with hay and wet fodder in winter, which comes exclusively from the area of Appelation on the Plateau du Vercors .
It is a cheese with a mild and creamy taste made from cow's milk with a moldy, semi-firm dough, an average weight of 4 to 4.5 kg, a diameter of 27 to 30 cm and a height of 7 to 9 cm. The fat content is 28%.
Manufacturing
40 liters of milk are required to make a wheel of cheese. Whole milk is used, but partially skimmed milk is also added. Both raw milk and pasteurized milk are used. At a temperature of 35 ° C, rennet , Penicillium Roqueforti and sometimes lactic acid bacteria are added. After the milk has solidified, it is cut into cubes and the whey removed. The mass is then poured into molds and placed on a draining table. 9 hours after curdling, it is removed from the mold, salted and put in a cellar at a temperature of 7 to 10 ° C. According to the regulations for the AOC, the cheese must be refined for at least 21 days. On the 6th and 12th day it is pierced with a needle to bring air into the cheese and thus to stimulate the growth of mold.
Production volume and area
The production volume increased from 39 tons in 1998 to 171 tons in 2006. Since 2006 some of them have been labeled Agriculture Biologique . In 2013, 180 tons were produced by 9 family farms and a cooperative.
The milk and cheese-making area is located in the interior of the Massif du Vercors and includes 13 communes in the Drôme department and 14 in Isère.
Municipalities in the Drôme department : Bouvante , Le Chaffal, La Chapelle-en-Vercors, Échevis , Léoncel, Omblèze, Plan-de-Baix, Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors, Saint-Jean-en-Royans , Saint-Julien-en -Vercors, Saint-Laurent-en-Royans , Saint-Martin-en-Vercors, Vassieux-en-Vercors.
Municipalities in the Isère department : Autrans , Châtelus, Choranche, Corrençon-en-Vercors , Engins , Izeron, Lans-en-Vercors , Malleval-en-Vercors , Méaudre , Presles , Rencurel , Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte , Saint-Pierre -de-Chérennes , Villard-de-Lans .
Consumption and application
A red wine containing tannins, such as a Cahors or Madiran, or a sweet wine such as a Sauternes , a Banyuls or a Maury goes well with the cheese .
In 1987 the Brotherhood of the Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage was founded. She organizes an annual festival in Sassenage to promote the cheese.
Since 2001, the municipalities of the Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors have organized an annual festival of the Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage in the associated municipalities.
Web links
- Publication of the application for registration in accordance with Article 6 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2000 / C 131/03) : « Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage » In: Amt for publications of the European Union (ed.): Official Journal of the European Union . C 131 of May 12, 2000, pp. 5-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ Regulation (EC) No. 509/2001 of the Commission of March 15, 2001 supplementing the annex to Regulation (EC) No. 2400/96 for the entry of certain names in the list of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs according to Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/92 of the Council for the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and food , accessed on January 20, 2016 : "France: Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage (PDO)" In: Official Journal of the European Union. L 76 of March 16, 2001, pp. 7-8.
- ^ A b Jean-Luc Dairien: Fiche produit. Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage. inao.gouv.fr, accessed October 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Vie pratique agriculture. Vercors Lait mise sur son bleu. (PDF) isere-interactive.fr, accessed on January 20, 2016 .
- ↑ La confrérie du bleu du Vercors-Sassenage . Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ↑ Fête du Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage: 8 and 9 août 2015 Villard-de-Lans . ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Parc natural regional du Vercors ; accessed on January 20, 2016.
