Abondance is a semi-hard, fragrant, raw-milk cheese made in the

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

department of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Its name comes from a small commune also called Abondance. A round of Abondance weighs approximately , and its aroma is comparable to Beaufort, another French cheese variety. Abondance is made exclusively from milk produced by the Abondance, montbéliarde, and tarine breeds of cattle. By 2022, the herd producing the milk for Abondance cheese will need to be a minimum of 55 percent of the herd. In 1998, 873 tonnes were produced (+16.4 percent since 1996), 34 percent from local farms. Abondance cheese was granted an

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bou ...

or AOC in 1990. The region has been known for its cheese since at least the 14th century when monks from the '' Sainte Marie d'Abondance'' Monastery are recorded to have supplied cheese to the papal conclave at Avignon. Abondance cheese can be either

artisanal An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

or farm-made; it is now made exclusively in the area of Abondance in Chablais,

. The ageing period for Abondance is a minimum of three months on specially-prepared spruce boards.

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* {{French cheeses Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Cow's-milk cheeses French cheeses French products with protected designation of origin Haute-Savoie

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