Reblochon is a full-cream raw cow’s milk cheese with a pressed and uncooked pâte.
The fat content is at least 45%.
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REBLOCHON, cheese of Savoie
Origins of Reblochon…
Its origins go back to the Middle-Ages in the Thônes valley in Haute-Savoie. The farmers used to hide a part of their milk production in order to reduce the taxes they paid to the landlords of mountain pastures. To avoid taxes, clever farmers used to stop milking halfway during inspections at the landlords’ premises. Once the landlord had gone, they resumed milking and the milk obtained from this second milking was much richer and fattier.
Reblochon production area…
The AOC area is spread over 184 districts in the départements of:
· Savoie
· Haute-Savoie
The production of Reblochon…
Reblochon of Savoie is made exclusively from full-cream raw milk which goes through renneting no later than 24 hours after milking. Affinage lasts at least 15 days.
Selection and tasting of Reblochon…
Reblochon takes the form of a flat cylinder of about 500 g. It also come as
Petit-Reblochon with an average weight of about 260 g.
Reblochon of Savoie is eaten at the end of meals.
As a creamy and soft cheese that is easy to digest, it is also good for children.
It goes well with white wines from Savoie, but also with red Beaujolais wines.
Reblochon received the ‘appellation d’origine contrôlée’ label in 1958.
Because it was impossible to preserve the milk - and to hide this “illegal” production, this second milking was immediately used to make a cheese for the personal consumption of the farmer and his family. It was naturally named Reblochon, from “re-blocher” (“to pinch a cow’s udder again” in Savoie patois). But, because of the fraudulent character of this practice, the word Reblochon did not appear on contracts of sale until 1699.
Thônes is located in Savoie, near Annecy and its beautiful lake
Specific conditions are defined for the fermière production (which occurs mainly twice a day).
