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Valençay (cheese)
Encyclopedia
Valençay is a cheese
made in the province of Berry
in central France
. Its name is derived from the town of Valençay
in the Indre
department.
Distinctive in its truncated pyramidal shape, Valençay is an unpasteurised goat
s-milk cheese weighing 200-250g and around 7cm in height. Its rustic blue-grey colour is made by the natural moulds that form its rind, darkened with a dusting of charcoal. The young cheese has a fresh, citric taste, with age giving it a nutty taste characteristic of goats cheeses.
The cheese achieved AOC
status in 1998 making Valençay the first region to achieve AOC status for both its cheese and its wine.
, Crottin de Chavignol
and Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
among others.
One apocryphal tale has it that Napoleon having returned from his disastrous campaigns in Egypt
stopped at the castle at Valençay
. Their local pyramidal cheese apparently aroused unpleasant memories as he alleged then cut the top off in fury with his sword leaving the shape that survives to the present.
is drained and placed in a mould. After being removed it is covered with charcoal dust and left to ripe in a humid, ventilated room. Affinage lasts for three weeks during which time its characteristic external mould forms and the central pate - initially crumbly - softens.
The cheese is available between March and December, with peak manufacture between April and August.
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
made in the province of Berry
Berry (province)
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790....
in central France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Its name is derived from the town of Valençay
Valençay
Valençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-Geography:Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon.-History:...
in the Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department.
Distinctive in its truncated pyramidal shape, Valençay is an unpasteurised goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s-milk cheese weighing 200-250g and around 7cm in height. Its rustic blue-grey colour is made by the natural moulds that form its rind, darkened with a dusting of charcoal. The young cheese has a fresh, citric taste, with age giving it a nutty taste characteristic of goats cheeses.
The cheese achieved AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
status in 1998 making Valençay the first region to achieve AOC status for both its cheese and its wine.
History
The province Berry has been the home to many cheeses for centuries, and has produced Selles-sur-CherSelles-sur-Cher (cheese)
Selles-sur-Cher is a French goats'-milk cheese made in the Centre region of France. Its name is derived from the commune of Selles-sur-Cher in the Loir-et-Cher department where it was first made in the 19th century....
, Crottin de Chavignol
Crottin de Chavignol
Crottin de Chavignol is the most famous goat cheese of the many varieties produced in the Loire Valley. This cheese is the claim to fame for the village of Chavignol, France, which has only two hundred inhabitants.-History:...
and Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre (cheese)
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre is a French goats'-milk cheese made in the Indre department of central France. Its name is derived from the commune of Pouligny-Saint-Pierre in the Indre department where it was first made in the 18th century....
among others.
One apocryphal tale has it that Napoleon having returned from his disastrous campaigns in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
stopped at the castle at Valençay
Valençay
Valençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-Geography:Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon.-History:...
. Their local pyramidal cheese apparently aroused unpleasant memories as he alleged then cut the top off in fury with his sword leaving the shape that survives to the present.
Manufacture
The curdCurd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
is drained and placed in a mould. After being removed it is covered with charcoal dust and left to ripe in a humid, ventilated room. Affinage lasts for three weeks during which time its characteristic external mould forms and the central pate - initially crumbly - softens.
The cheese is available between March and December, with peak manufacture between April and August.