Cantal cheese

The famous Cantal cheese is classified by professionals as hard or semi-hard cheese varieties that are produced in France. Cantal is called one of the senior French cheeses. The recipe for Kantal cheese was invented by residents of the historical French region of Auvergne, which is located in the area of ​ ​ the Central Mountain Range.

Tasters, as well as true cheese connoisseurs, note that the taste of Kantal is somewhat reminiscent of another known cheddar cheese. Cantal cheese stands out for its pronounced savoury and moderately spicy creamy taste, which only gets richer over time. Cantal cheese, like the vast majority of noble French cheeses, is officially certified by the AOS.

This means that Kantal cheese can be called a product that is produced in a certain area and has undergone mandatory quality control by authorized government agencies. Cantal cheese is a pressed and non-boiled variety of cheese that is produced from high quality cow's milk. During the production process, cow's milk is squeezed in special molds.

Cantal cheese ripens in special storages that maintain a certain temperature regime as well as humidity levels. Since Kantal cheese is produced in mountainous areas, the rather harsh climatic conditions of the region also affected the cheese product. The inhabitants of Auvergne stocked up on cheese for the winter, so the usual Canthal cheese head reaches a weight of 40 kg.

Currently, there are several varieties of Cantal cheese that differ in taste, consumer characteristics, as well as the method of manufacture. Depending on the type of milk used in the cooking process, Cantal cheese is divided into:



Cantal Laitier cheese, or a bulk version of a product that is made from pasteurized cow's milk;

Cantal Fermier cheese or a homemade farm product that is made from raw cow's milk.



It is worth noting that for the preparation of both the first and second types of Kantal cheese, milk of cows of a certain Saler breed is used. Depending on the ripening time, Cantal cheese is divided into the following types:



Cantal jeune young cantal cheese matures no more than 2 months;

Cantal doré medium as well as gold-plated Cantal cheese last 6 months;

Cantal vieux aged cheese matures during the year.



The young Kantal cheese has a sweet, creamy taste. The old or aged Cantal stands out for its rich, noble taste. Moreover, aged cheese can maintain its distinctive taste and consumer characteristics with proper storage for up to one and a half years. Cantal is perfectly combined with potato dishes, the product is added with salads and soups. In addition, cheese is used in the process of preparing the famous Fondue dish.