What is cheese?

A product made exclusively from specific dairy ingredients (milk, cream, fat, buttermilk) used alone or in a mixture and coagulated (in whole or in part). The coagulation of milk produces a solid phase (the curd) and a liquid phase (the whey or “whey”). The curd – which will become cheese – can be drained, molded, salted, fermented and/or refined for more or less time. 

Cheese is made with different types of milk from cows, goats and sheep. Some are made with specific breeds, such as Salers with the species of the same name.
Elsewhere in the world, milk from other animal species is also used: buffalo, reindeer, zebu, mare, camel, llama and Yack.
The constituents of this raw material are identical for all animal species that produce it, but there are differences in proportions. Several factors influence the taste and flavour of the cheese: the season, the climate, specific microorganisms, the quality of the soils and pastures, the species of the chosen dairy animal, the manufacturing techniques, the know-how of ripening, so many elements that make you want to discover all these wonders! 

 

Seasonality, what does it mean?

This means that cheese is simply a living product. It is made from milk, itself produced by an animal (most often cows, goats or sheep). Depending on the season, the herds are in the open air grazing in the meadows or in stables feeding on dry fodder, their diet therefore differs. In addition, each species has its own lactation rhythm. A natural rhythm that must be respected. Finally, the refining is meticulously defined to give each variety of cheese a taste that is unique to it. All these parameters are taken into account to define the ideal season for tasting a cheese. This doesn't stop you from enjoying many of your favourite variety all year round, just know that there will be a period when its taste will be perfect! 

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How does the season impact the taste of cheese?

The summer period is often the best because the food is abundant and rich for the herds grazing in the open air. And you should know that these generous moments of pasture are conducive to good milk, which generally produces very good cheeses. If you are in Normandie, the promised land of cows, this period is quite long and begins in spring, in April/May. It usually starts at the end of May in the scrublands, where there are numerous herds of goats. Seasonality has a direct impact on cheeses made from raw milk, they constitute most of our range! 

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