Tomme (), occasionally spelled Tome, is a class of cheeses produced mainly in the
French Alps and in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
[Joel Robuchon et al., ''Larousse Gastronomique'' (New York, New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001), page 1220.] It can be made from cow's, ewe's, or goat's milk.
[ Tommes are normally produced from the skimmed milk][ left over after the cream has been removed to produce ]butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
and richer cheeses, or when there is too little milk to produce a full cheese. As a result, they are generally low in fat. However, Tomme de Boudane and Tomme de Revard can contain as much as 20–40% fat. Tomme cheeses date back to ancient history
Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...
.
There are many varieties of Tommes, which are usually identified by their place of origin. The most famous of these is Tomme de Savoie
Tomme de Savoie () is an uplandJoel Robuchon et al., ''Larousse Gastronomique'' (New York, New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001), page 1220. variety of Tomme cheese, specifically, one from Savoy in the French Alps. It is a mild, semi-firm cow's mil ...
.[ Other Tommes include Tomme Boudane, Tomme au Fenouil, Tomme de Crayeuse, Tomme d'Aydius, Tomme de Grandmère, Tomme Affinée and Tomme du Revard. Tomme de Montagne is a collective term for the upland varieties, e.g., Tomme de Savoie but not Tomme de Beaujolais. An Italian product spelled Toma or Tuma originates from the area between Val d'Aoste and Ventimiglia, and is usually made from cow's milk.
Tomme fraîche is traditionally used to make aligot, an Auvergnat dish combining melted cheese and mashed potatoes.
]
References
See also
* Swiss cheeses and dairy products
* Toma (Italy)
French cheeses
Swiss cheeses
Ancient dishes
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