Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage is a mild

pasteurized Pasteurization American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mi ...

natural rind cow's milk blue cheese originally produced by monks in the

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône an ...

region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the 14th century. Now made in the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

area, the cheese has been a protected

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 boun ...

since 1998. As a requirement, the cheese has to be composed of milk from

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two Subprefectures in F ...

, Abondance or

Villard Villard may refer to: People * Villard (surname) Places France * Villard, Creuse * Villard, Haute-Savoie * Villard-Bonnot, in the Isère department *Villard-de-Lans, in the Isère department * Villard-d'Héry, in the Savoie department * Villard- ...

cows. The cheese is unpressed and uncooked and contains the mold

Penicillium roqueforti ''Penicillium roqueforti'' is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus ''Penicillium''. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. The major industrial use of this fungus is the production of blue ...

. In Larousse's Grand Dictionnaire Universel of the 19th century, King

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

is described as being quite fond of the cheese. File:Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage sur le marché.jpg File:Etalage de bleu du Vercors-Sassenage.jpg File:Meules de bleu du Vercors-Sassenage.jpg

References

Cow's-milk cheeses Blue cheeses French cheeses Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union {{cheese-stub

See also

References