You can tell a lot about a place by its well-known dishes. Tikka masala – supposedly invented by Asian chefs in Britain – shows us the UK’s multicultural roots. Valencia’s paella hints at the centuries of Moorish rule that introduced rice to southern Spain. And as for truffade – the traditional dish of the French Auvergne region, which sees potatoes fried in duck fat and coated in an unctuous blanket of cheese curd – what it tells you is that Auvergne bloody loves cheese.
Of the 46 French cheeses awarded the coveted AOP label – a government status that protects their name, location and historical production method – five come from Auvergne.
There is even a 38-stop route des fromages through the region, with road signs featuring cheese wheels directing drivers to 38 dairies and farm producers that make some of the country’s finest cheeses. Among the area’s most recognised contributions to French fromage are its blue cheeses; of these, probably the best known to people in the UK is Saint Agur.
This rich, tangy cheese is made in Beauzac, located beside the Loire in the Haute-Loire department, south-central France. It’s a “pretty, medieval village”, says Saint Agur’s fromagerie director Ludovic d’Eysmond, who describes a picturesque scene, where a church and ramparts “create a beautiful square in the centre of the village”.
All of its milk comes from within 45 miles of the village, largely from farms in nearby hamlets, nestled on the side of the dormant volcanoes that are characteristic of the area’s terrain. Milk is provided by Montbéliarde cows, a breed prized among French cheesemakers because the protein levels of their milk produce higher yields of cheese than milk from other cows. They graze outside every other day, weather permitting.
Blue cheese created with 100% cow’s milk is typical of Auvergne blue cheese. As a result, the offerings are creamier, with Saint Agur in particular notable for a less piquant taste, which eschews saltiness and balances the riper flavour you’d expect from a blue cheese with fruity notes. It also makes for a thriving local dairy industry, with farmers who win big contracts proudly displaying billboards outside their farms saying things like: “Saint Agur has chosen our milk!”
The heritage of Auvergne’s blue cheese dates back to the mid-1850s, when a local cheesemaker noticed the tastiness of the blue mould that would sometimes appear on his cheese curds. After experimenting, he realised that if he injected the mould, it would cause veining throughout the cheese.
All of the area’s cheeses have characteristics that make them stand out individually. Saint Agur is prized for the way it balances tangy notes with creamy, almost mushroom-like richness, whereas others are known for flavours that range from grassy notes that are almost woodlandy, through to borderline spiciness in some of the more powerfully moulded offerings.
But one thing many of Auvergne’s better cheeses have in common is that they are ripened in some form of underground caves; Saint Agur, for instance, spends 10 weeks in Beauzac caves. The rocks that create those special flavour-maturing conditions are largely volcanic, created by the dormant giants now covered in pasture that the cows graze upon.
Locals, however, prefer to graze on another delicacy. Blandine Pontier, technical manager at the fromagerie, has a one-step rule to best enjoy Saint Agur: “Simply add it to a galette [savoury crepe].” Bon appétit!
Discover delicious ways to enjoy Saint Agur every day
