The Pikauba is a semi-firm

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

, farmer made by hand, in the region

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (, ) is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and th ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. It takes its name from a river,

Pikauba River The Pikauba River is a tributary of Kenogami Lake, flowing in the province of Quebec in Canada, in the administrative regions of: * Capitale-Nationale: in the unorganized territory of Lac-Pikauba, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality; * ...

, that crosses the

Laurentides Wildlife Reserve Réserve faunique des Laurentides (), also known by its former name of parc des Laurentides, is a wildlife reserve in Quebec, Canada, located between Quebec City and the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. This reserve is part of the network of ...

. It is recognized by its fine orange rind and its soft, golden paste, strewn with small holes. Medium in intensity, Pikauba has a buttery taste with fruity aromas. It comes in 2.5 kg or 5 kg format.

The production territory

Pikauba is made at Lehman cheese dairy located in

Hébertville Hébertville is a municipality in Quebec, Canada. History Hébertville was founded in 1849 and is named for the priest Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert (1810-1888), the son of Jean-Baptiste Hébert, a Patriot representative jailed in Montreal in 183 ...

in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (

). The quality of the fodder plants, the freshness of the cool climate as well as the terroir of the region offer favorable conditions for cheese making.

The story

The Lehmann Cheese Factory has been in existence since 2001. It is from the recipe, scribbled on a piece of paper by his mother from Jura, Switzerland, that Jacob Lehman makes the first cheeses. The cheese family says that a quote from Félix Leclerc provided them with the inspiration to produce cheese:''“Our lives are like rivers; the calm is deep, the restless flow on the surface.”'' The Pikauba was produced for the first time in 2005. A novel by

Gérard Bouchard Gérard Bouchard (born 1943) is a Canadian historian and sociologist affiliated with the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Born on 26 December 1943 in Jonquière, Quebec, he obtained his master's degree in sociology from Université Laval i ...

is also entitled ''Pikauba''a,

Manufacturing

This semi-soft, washed rind cheese is made with thermised cow's milk. Maturing lasts between 90 and 120 days. Production is based on a herd of 60 Brown Swiss cows, which is said to be the oldest dairy breed. This mountain cow is appreciated for its ability to give rich milk and a very good cheese yield.

Distinction

* Finalist at the 2014 Canadian Fine Cheese Competition, category of the best semi-soft cheese.

Notes and references

External links