Description
The Salers PDO is a semi-hard paste cheese of raw and whole milk from cows of breeds located in the pastures and alpine areas which surround the volcanic Massif of Auvergne.
Production Area
The production area of Salers PDO covers the volcanic massif of Cantal and Cézalier mountains and a part of Dore mountains. It includes 137 municipal areas in the department of Cantal, 24 in the department of Puy-de-Dôme and a municipal area in the department of Haute-Loire (where only a cheese ripening is allowed), in the Auvergne region; a municipal area in the department of Corrèze, in the region of Limousin; five municipal areas in the department of Aveyron, in the region of Midi-Pyrenees.
Production Method
The production is authorised from 15th April to 15th November, during the period of animal cropping. When the weather condition allows it, the animals must crop every day. The milk milked is coagulated through a small addition of rennet. Once obtained, the curd is cut by hand and remixed, then put into cheese moulds and pressed for ripening. Once achieved the right ripening, the cheeses are once more cut and drysalted. Later the paste is put into cheese moulds which undergo many pressings and are striped more times. When moulding is ready, the cheese must ripen for at least three months.
Appearance and Flavour
Salers PDO has a cylindrical shape with variable size, and a diameter of 38 cm to 48 cm. The weight can span from 30 kg to 50 kg. It features a golden rind with moulds in red and orange spots. The paste is yellow colour, with a homogeneous consistency. The flavour is aromatic and slightly acid, with an herby and earthy taste.
History
Salers PDO's name comes from the village of Salers, a medieval town located 930 metres above sea level, in the heart of the mountains of Cantal, the homeland of the production of this cheese. Salers cheeses, together with Cantal ones, were processed in these alpine pastures, in the stone alpine grazing, between May and October. This tradition has been still maintained; indeed today the milk milked in the other months of the year, from November to April, is used to produce Cantal cheese.
Gastronomy
Salers PDO must be conserved in the least cold compartment of the refrigerator, wrapped in its original package or in a foil. Before eating it, it is suggested to leave it at room temperature for about one hour. Salers PDO is a cheese which is generally eaten at the end of a meal with a slice of bread and fresh fruit, in particular apples, grapes, cherries or dry fruit, above all walnuts. It is ideal with a lot of wines, but they must be enough light to enhance its characteristic aroma like, for example, Beaujolais or Vallée de la Loire.
Marketing
The product is sold as Salers PDO. The traditional Salers writing is showed on the trim for the cheeses produced with milk coming only from Salers breed cows. It is marketed whole, in portions or slices.
Distinctive Features
Still today the volcanic lands of Cantal, which are rich in phosphor, potassium and magnesium, give the production area special features which enable to achieve the milk, from which Salers PDO is produced, unique characteristics.
