Saint-Marcellin

Appearance & taste

Saint-Marcellin is a small, flat cylinder with rounded sides, 6.5 to 8 cm in diameter and 2 to 2.5 cm high; it weighs at least 80 g. The sometimes slightly wrinkled rind is largely or entirely covered with white-beige to grey-blue noble mould. The cream-coloured paste is supple and even when cut and may have a few holes. It is lightly salted, without spices, and contains 40 to 65 % fat in dry matter.

Depending on drying, there are two kinds. According to the specification, the “dry” Saint-Marcellin with over 44 % dry matter corresponds to local tradition; its ripening slows protein breakdown and makes it keep particularly well. It is rather firm. The “soft” Saint-Marcellin is dried less, contains over 40 % dry matter, often ripens longer and develops pronounced aromas and a soft to creamy, melting texture. The rind melts on the tongue. The specification describes the flavour as sour, only slightly salty and pronounced, with balanced, rich, fruity aromas and notes of honey.

The label gives the name “Saint-Marcellin” and the processing business. The cheese is offered packed or unpacked.

Production

The cows are fed mainly on grass and above all hay and graze for at least 180 days a year on extensive land (at most 1.4 livestock units per hectare). At least 80 % of the dry matter of the annual feed comes from the area, and at least 50 % is grass in any form. In the winter months of December to March, hay makes up 15 % of the basic ration. Supplementary feed such as cereals, oil and protein crops, nut press cake and dried legumes is limited to 30 % of the annual feed quantity.

Whole cow’s milk from the area is used, without adjusting its fat and protein content. It is raw or only lightly warmed, but not pasteurised. The lactic curd is neither kneaded nor pressed, only lightly salted, and can then dry and ripen. The cheese goes on sale no earlier than 10 days after curdling. Milk production, processing and ripening take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area lies in the Bas Dauphiné on the east bank of the Rhône, between the plains of the Lyonnais and the limestone mountains of the Chartreuse and the western Vercors. Hills and plateaus with wide valleys form a gentle transition between mountains and plain. The climate is temperate, with an average of 9 to 11 °C and 800 to 1,100 mm of rainfall. Pastures make up 40 to 80 % of the agricultural area, alongside dairy farming and walnut trees. The wind, blowing mainly from north to south, helped to dry walnuts, tobacco and cheese; in the drying houses for walnuts, cheeses also hung in open baskets, the “tommiers”.

The cheese was originally called “tomme” and was made on the farms. It got its name from the town of Saint-Marcellin, the most important trading place in the region in the 15th century; the first mention is found in the account books of the household of Louis XI. From 1870, collectors, the “coquetiers”, went from farm to farm and delivered the cheeses to Romans, Grenoble, Lyon, Saint-Étienne and Avignon. In the 1920s they founded the first dairies. “Saint-Marcellin” has been an official name since 1935, and its definition was laid down in 1942. The producers’ association was formed in 1971 and the interprofessional association in 1994. In 2008, 35.5 million cheeses of this name were made.