County (cheese)

History

The county was born in times when the roughness of the long winters obliged the men to think their subsistence collectively. Through the principle of Co-operative S, they then reflect jointly the production of their breedings and learned how to work out and raise this cheese “of guard”.

Manufacture

The county is the first French cheese of name of controlled origin (AOC). This name guarantees traditional and rigorous processes of breeding, manufacture and Affinage.

It is a cheese with the milk believed of cow, with cooked pressed paste. It is presented into large Meule S 65 cm in diameter and an average weight of 40 kg. One needs approximately 450 liters of milk to produce only one grinding stone of county.

It is a rich food in Phosphore, in Calcium, Rock salt and Protéines. Its period of optimal tasting is spread out July at September after a Affinage from 8 to 12 months, but it is also excellent from June to December.

The County makes its second transformation in the cellar of Affinage. During this long maturation, it is the subject of attentive care supporting the organoleptic development which takes place naturally with the wire of month. Its maturation in cellar of refining is at least 4 months, but it is often from 8 to 10 months, even more (18-24 month). The County known as of exception can reach 36 months. The county is characterized by its astonishing aromatic richness in particular due to the condition of breeding but especially with the nature even of the Jurassic flora gathering nearly 2000 species is more than 40% of the French flora.

Production: 40.162 tons in 1998 (+ 4,45 % since 1996), of which 100 % with believed milk and produces artisanalement in 190 Fruitière S.

Notation by brown band or green band

Each grinding stone of county is the subject of a notation on 20 points.

This notation sanctions the taste but also the physical aspect of the grinding stone. The grinding stones which obtain a note higher than 15 points receive a green band. The grinding stones which obtain a note ranging between 12 and 15 points receive a brown band, and it is important to stress that this brown band can in addition sanction a light blemish on a cheese excel.

The grinding stones which do not reach the note of 12 as for them are withdrawn from the Comté batches and are intended for the manufacture of cheese spreads (such as the cow which laughs, the Kiri, and other products of the factory of the Beautiful Groupe with Lons-the-Salt maker).

Green or brown, both are authentic Comté whose minimum age is 4 months. The color of the band does not have any relationship with the age of cheese nor with a typology of taste.

Farms of the Jurassic solid mass

Milk in county east produced in small-scale farmings which practice a respectful extensive agriculture of the grounds. The Cows Montbéliarde and Simmental Frenchwoman are the only races recognized for the production of milk in county. Their food is composed primarily of fresh grass in Pâture the summer and of Foin, with the cattle shed, during the winter season. The Ensilage of grass is prohibited, just like the culture of the Maïs.

The fruit-bearing ones in county

See also: Fruit-bearing

The county is elaborate artisanalement in more than 190 small cheese dairies of village, the “fruit-bearing ones”, of the Coopérative S, or the companies which collect each day the milk of firm the surrounding. In these fruit-bearing, milk is poured in large tanks of Cuivre (or stainless) to be warmed there. The cheesemonger adds to it a few centilitres of a natural Présure which transforms milk into a Caillé which then will be brewed and heated with 54° during 60 minutes. The contents of the tank then are tapped, poured and pressed in the moulds in county. A few hours later, the opening of this mould delivers a new still white and flexible grinding stone which will leave soon for a long stay in Cave refining. The word fruit-bearing comes from Latin fructus, it is here that the peasants share the fruit of their work. Without this pooling, this shape of solidarity, never of cheeses requiring 450 liters of milk could not be manufactured in areas where the majority of the exploitations is of family type. So today those could allow it (a average quota of 300.000 liters per annum would allow the manufacture of approximately two grinding stones per day), the secular tradition of fruit-bearing remained, thus keeping much typicity when, twice a day, the peasants bring their production in “faces with milk” harnessed to their car or tractor. Or, less typical, it is a tanker which makes the round in the farms furthest away from the village.

Price

The prices of the county vary largely:

According to the places of sales
According to the degree of refining (the oldest counties are most expensive)

See too

Cheeses with the cow's milk
List of French cheeses
Cheeses with cooked pressed paste
List of French cheeses in AOC
List of the regional cheese specialities

External bonds

Official site of the county www.comte.com
the County presented by Marie Anne Cantin, specialist and refiner

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