Salers () is a French

semi-hard cheese There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criter ...

originating from Salers, department of

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

, in the volcanic mountains of the Massif Central,

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

, central France. It is a pressed, uncooked cheese, sometimes made from Salers cow's milk (it's then called "Tradition Salers"), between 15 April and 15 November. It is circular in shape, formed in rounds weighing around . The cheese is aged in caves at temperatures ranging from for a minimum of 3 months, and up to 45 months. Salers de Buron Traditional is only made in stone huts (called ''burons'' in the Cantal) in the summer months with milk exclusively from the Salers cow. It must also be made in the traditional wooden ''gerle''.

History

Salers has been produced since ancient times. It is estimated to have been produced in this region for at least 2,000 years. Salers came to prominence when the Maréchal de Senneterre served it at the table of

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. Senneterre is also responsible for the introduction of

Saint-Nectaire Saint-Nectaire () is a List of French cheeses, French cheese made in the Auvergne (region), Auvergne region of central France. The cheese has been made in Auvergne since at least the 17th century. History Up until the 17th century, the Saint- ...

and Cantal. Salers has benefited from the

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

(AOC) since 1961. Traditional Salers producers are becoming increasingly rare, with fewer than 100 farmhouse producers remaining today. 1,112 tonnes were produced in 1998 (+15.1% since 1996); all was made in local farms from unpasteurized milk.

Similar to Cantal

Salers is similar to

Cantal cheese Cantal cheese () is an uncooked firm cheese produced in the Auvergne region of central France: more particularly in the ''département'' of Cantal (named after the Cantal mountains) as well as in certain adjoining districts. Cantal cheese was g ...

, which is produced from the same cows' milk when they are fed on

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

during the remaining months of the year.

References

External links

* {{French cheeses French cheeses Occitan cheeses Cantal Cow's-milk cheeses Massif Central Auvergne

History

Similar to Cantal

See also

References

External links