Sainte-Maure de Touraine

For the like-named commune in France, see Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine.
Sainte-Maure de Touraine
Country of originFrance
RegionTouraine
Source of milkGoat
PasteurisedTraditionally no
TextureSoft-ripened
Aging timeat least 10 days, 10-28 days[1]
CertificationFrench AOC[1] 1990
Named afterSainte-Maure-de-Touraine
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Sainte-Maure de Touraine is a French cheese produced in the province of Touraine, mainly in the department of Indre-et-Loire. It is named after the small town of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, at equal distance from westerly Chinon and easterly Loches.

Sainte-Maure de Touraine is an unpasteurized cheese made from full fat goat's milk.[2] It has the form of a small log,[2] around 16–17 cm in length, and weighs at least 250 g. It is white and soft under a greyish moldy rind and is rolled in wood ash.[3] It has a straw through its centre, marked by the AOC seal and a number indicating the producer. The straw is used, in the making, to keep the roll together. The finished cheese has 45% milk fat.

Quality control

Protected since 1990 by the AOC Seal, Sainte-Maure de Touraine is made with traditional methods. It should not be confused with "Sainte-Maure", also produced in Touraine, but without meeting the stringent AOC production criteria. "Sainte-Maure" is the industrial counterpart of the high-quality, traditionally made, Sainte-Maure de Touraine. Their straw is not marked by a seal, thus differentiating them from AOC cheeses.

Production

1,065 tons of Sainte-Maure de Touraine was produced in 2003,[4] 58% on dairies and 42% on farms. Since it became an AOC in 1990, its production has strongly increased, from 275 tons (a nearly 300% increase). It is now the second-largest produced goat's cheese AOC in France, just behind Crottin de Chavignol.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Harbutt, J. (2009). World Cheese Book. DK Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7566-6218-9. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Jenkins, S.W. (1996). Cheese Primer. Workman Pub. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-89480-762-6. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Martinez, Laura (14 June 2007). The Everything Cheese Book, Laura Martinez. F+W Media. ISBN 9781605502564.
  4. ^ "AOC - Le Sainte-Maure de Touraine". cniel.com (in French). 20 February 2002. Archived from the original on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 9 April 2021.