The Fourme of Ambert is a Fromage French of the area Auvergne (but also of the department of the the Loire), created at the origin in the surroundings of Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme), and which profits from a Appellation of controlled origin (AOC) since 1972.

Description

It is a cheese containing cow's milk, with spotted paste, not cooked and nonin a hurry, with dry and flowered crust, of a diameter of 13  cm, a height of 19  cm and of a weight bordering the 2,2  kg.

Its name fourme comes from the Latin formed which would be also at the origin of the word cheese .

Tasting

The fourme is consumed all the year. Its period of optimal tasting depends on its duration of refining and its type: industrialist or farmer. Indeed, the industrial fourme is refined between 28 for the traditional fourmes and 40 days the fourmes with believed milk. The farm fourmes all, produced starting from believed milk, are refined much longer: from 2 to 6 months. Thus, a farm fourme will be to preferably taste August at March if one wishes to benefit from the milks of summer produced and transformed by certain producers into mountain pasture, in meadows of altitude rich in flora. In the dishes, it can emphasize the red meats like the white meats or fish.

Manufacture

Milk is heated with 32°C, one adds presses it to make it curdle and the Penicillium roqueforti which will be at the origin of the formation of “blue”. Once milk is curdled (solid), it is distinct in small cube. The cheesemonger then will cap the grain to curdle. The “capping” consists of a succession of slow mixing intersected with phases of rest. This operation makes it possible the curd grain to be surrounded by a fine protection which will avoid the complete agglomeration of the grains at the time of the setting out of mould by sparing openings between them. This stage is paramount to allow the development of the Penicillium roqueforti .

Then the operations come from pricking, which will bring oxygen essential to the homogeneous development of Penicillium in the small cavities of cheese, and from Affinage in cellar during at least 28 days at a temperature oscillating between 8 and 12°C.

The production of 2006 adds up: 6200  tons.

The near total of this production is the fact of dairy structures. In 2007, only two farm producers produce within framework AOC. The industrial monopoly explains this weak presence mainly. There exists today ten producers of farm Fourme not having the AOC.

Surface of production

the Fourme of Ambert can be produced in a rather vast zone:

• 43 cantons of the Department of the Puy-de-Dôme (that is to say the mountainous area of Puy de Dôme)
• 8 communes of 3 cantons of the department of the the Loire
• 5 cantons of the North-East of the Department of the Cantal.

History of the AOC

This cheese is undoubtedly one of oldest of France. It was traditionally produced in the zones of mountain pasture of High thatches of the Monts of Drill under the name of fourme of Pierre on High . It is under this name that the cheese was the subject of a label since 1940.

The May 9th 1972 was created a name of controlled origin common to the Fourme of Ambert and the Fourme of Montbrison, the Fourme of Ambert and Montbrison , which lasted nearly thirty years. Two names were separated by last decrees the February 22nd 2002.

The difference between the two fourmes lies from now on in the current techniques of draining and salting:

• the Fourme of Ambert undergoes a reduced draining and salting by brine and/or with dry salt on the surface;
• the Fourme of Montbrison undergoes pre-draining, crushing and salting in the mass of curd.

External bonds

• Official site of the interprofessional Trade union of the fourme of Ambert (SIFAM)

• Cheese AOC of Auvergne: Fourme of Ambert (site of the Association of Cheeses of Auvergne)

• Information on the site of the Room of Agriculture of Auvergne

• Site of Fourmiers farmers of Valcivières - not AOC

• Decree of February 22nd, 2002 relating to the name of controlled origin “Fourme of Ambert” - J.O n° 47 of February 24th, 2002

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