Bleu d'Auvergne

Appearance & taste

Bleu d’Auvergne is a flat cylinder 19 to 23 cm in diameter and 8 to 11 cm high and weighs 2 to 3 kg. The rind is dry, without moist patches, and not uniform in colour; it may show white, grey, green, blue and black mould. The white to cream-coloured paste has holes and is evenly veined with blue-green mould in pockets the size of wheat to maize grains. It is melting, creamy and fine and contains at least 50 % fat in dry matter.

The specification describes the taste as strong, typical and balanced, of blue mould, undergrowth or even mushrooms. It may be slightly salty and have a fine bitter note. Depending on ripeness, the aromas produced by the mould Penicillium roqueforti are more or less pronounced. The cheese may be sold in portions of various sizes.

Production

All year round, the basic ration of the dairy cows consists only of green fodder from the area; on annual average at least 70 % is grass from pasture, wilted or ensiled. Supplementary feed that cannot be produced in the area because of the relief and the upland climate is limited to 1,800 kg of dry matter per cow per year. As a result, at least 70 % of the total ration comes from the area. The cows graze as long as there is fresh grass and the weather allows, but for at least 150 days a year; outside the grazing season they receive at least 3 kg of hay a day. Feed from genetically modified plants is prohibited.

The milk is coagulated with rennet. The curd is stirred in the vat until a thin membrane forms around the grains, which stops them from fusing when moulded. The cheese drains without pressing and is turned several times. It is then rubbed or sprinkled with salt on all sides and pierced a single time. Through the channels this creates, oxygen reaches the cavities in the paste, where the mould develops. The cheese ripens in damp, ventilated cellars. Milk production, cheesemaking, ripening and storage up to the 28th day after renneting take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area covers the northern and central part of the Massif Central, mainly on its base of granite and metamorphic rock with a volcanic cover. It is an upland area lying at least 500 m high throughout and rising above 1,000 m. Over 800 mm of rain falls each year, which favours lush grassland; the winters are long and harsh.

The specification names the Puy-de-Dôme and its surroundings west of the mountains of Auvergne as the historical cradle, where production goes back to the middle of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century it moved from farms to dairies, thanks among others to Antoine Roussel from Auvergne, who introduced piercing. Towards the end of the century a second production area emerged in the south-west of the Cantal mountains. For small producers who did not have enough milk for a “Fourme de Cantal”, the cheese was long an alternative; it kept for a long time and used up leftover curd. In 1934 the Ministry of Agriculture approved a definition of the cheese, and in March 1975 it was recognised as a designation of origin.