Cantal Cheese | Ancient Gourmet French Cheddar Cheese

Cantal Cheddar Cheese
Cantal is one of the oldest French Cheeses, predating both Roquefort (11th Century) and Livarot (13th Century). In fact, Pliny the Elder mentions Cantal Cheddar Cheese in his "Historia Naturalis" written in the 1st Century AD.

Cantal was originally produced by putting the curd into "le formage", a wooden cylinder, which is believed to be the origin for the French word for cheese. Named after the Cantal Mountains in Auvergne, Cantal Cheddar cheese has been dear to the French throughout history.

In medieval times it was the courtly custom to send a gift of Cantal cheese to impress or to people one admired.

Cantal is made from pasteurized cow's milk with the curd being heated before pressing. Cantal is an AOC cheese that has a smooth, grayish-brown rind with a smooth, pale yellow, close-textured interior.

Cantal has a milky aroma, a nutty flavor with a hint of tangy butteriness, and a slightly acidic finish. Cantal Cheeses are Aged from three to nine months.

Cantal Cheese is prone to blue mold (fleur de bleu) which the French gladly eat, but can also be cut off.

Try Cantal in a French ploughman's platter, in soups or sauces, or to flavor muffins or gratins.

As a French Poet once said: "To elaborate on Cantal is an error of taste; it is all simplicity".