Valençay (cheese)
Valençay is a French cheese made from goat milk . It is a specialty of the Berry area and named after the community of the same name . The Valençay has been awarded the AOP quality seal since 1998 .
Manufacturing
After the goat milk is warmed up, lactic acid bacteria are added. 24 hours later, a little rennet is mixed in and the resulting mass is later poured into a truncated pyramid-shaped container. The whey can drain through holes in the container. Finally, the cheese matures in a drying room for 20 to 45 days.
properties
The Valençay has a weight of 200-250 grams. The handy truncated pyramid is covered with plant ash, where light gray mold also develops. The cheese's dough is soft, slightly moist, unpressed and light beige in color. The taste is described as sweet-sour and spicy, but also very fine and goat's milk-like.
use
Valençay on warm toast is popular . But it is also used on all kinds of potato dishes, in melted form or spicy on crepes . White wine also goes well with Valençay .
Legend
According to a legend, the cheese is said to have originally had the shape of a pyramid. When Napoleon Bonaparte passed Valençay on his way home from the Egyptian campaign to Paris , he saw the cheese there and cut off the tip out of anger over the defeat. In other versions it is said that the cheese was specially commissioned for Napoleon von Talleyrand , at that time his foreign minister and master of the Valençay Castle located there.
literature
- Fabiano Guatteri: cheese. Enjoyment and variety from Europe. Kaiser, Klagenfurt 2006, ISBN 3-7043-1419-6 .