Fourme d'ambert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fourme d’Ambert is a creamy, blue-veined cheese traditionally produced in the Auvergne region of France, around the town of Ambert.
[edit] Production
Fourme d’Ambert is made using approximately 25 liters of unpasteurized cow’s milk for each round. After curdling, the curds are seeded with Penicillium glaucum, the same mold used in the preparation of Gorgonzola and Stilton cheeses. Once the curds are allowed to drain for 24 hours, they are loosely introduced into a cylindrical form, then aerated with hollow needles to allow the blue to develop. The cheese is neither pressed nor cooked, and is allowed to mature for at least three to four weeks.
[edit] Appearance and taste
The finished cheese is a tall cylinder measuring approximately 13 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height, and weighing about 2 kg. The cheese has a soft, rag-colored rind with a bloom containing hints of red. The cheese is usually sold whole or in rounds cut from the cylinder. The cut surface reveals a creamy paste with small pockets of blue scattered densely throughout the cheese. Fourme d’Ambert has a creamy flavor given depth by the veining, but lacks the pungence of other veined cheeses.
[edit] AOC Certification
Fourme d’Ambert was first certified as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) product on May 9, 1972, protecting regional producers from infringement on the use of the name ‘fourme d’Ambert’.
