Sainte-Maure de Touraine
The Sainte-Maure de Touraine is a French soft cheese made from goat milk . It comes from the area around Sainte-Maure de Touraine in the former historical province of Touraine on the Loire . Today it is the Indre-et-Loire department and neighboring municipalities of the Indre and Vienne departments .
A straw runs through the center of the Sainte-Maure de Touraine , on which the information AOC -Saint-Maure de Touraine as well as the name and company number of the manufacturer are written and which also ensures that the sensitive cheese is held together. This characteristic makes it easy to distinguish it from other goat cheeses.
The roll shape has a diameter of 4.8 to 6.5 centimeters and a length of 28 centimeters. The rind is covered with a light noble mold, and the cheese usually has an ash coating. The dough is white and has a paste-like consistency.
The Sainte-Maure de Touraine is made from goat's milk with the addition of a little rennet . The coagulation occurs within 24 hours. The curd is then filled into oblong shapes and must break as little as possible. Then the cheese is shaped, lightly salted and, if necessary, sprinkled with vegetable ash. The maturation time is at least 10 days.
The Sainte-Maure de Touraine has a mild, mushroom-like taste with the characteristic goat aroma, which becomes more intense with age. The smell is also reminiscent of a goat. Its fat content is between 23 and 43% fat i. Tr.
It can be ideally sliced and served as an aperitif . The cheese is also suitable for gratinating , and it can be served very well with a salad or fruit.
Sainte-Maure is a goat cheese from the entire Touraine region, but only Sainte-Maure de Touraine carries the AOC seal of approval.
Historical
There is evidence that goat breeding and cheese production in Sainte-Maure dates back to the Carolingian era. The Sainte-Maure has even found its way into French literature; in the book Die Touraine in Balzac's time by Marie Laurencin the cheese is described.
literature
- 33 different cheeses from France. How to recognize them, how they taste, how to eat them, what to drink with them and how to store them. , Brochure from Sopexa , Düsseldorf 1984.
