Olivet cendré, also called cendré d'Olivet, is a

French cheese This is a list of French cheeses documenting the varieties of cheeses, a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms, which are found in France. In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, "How can you gove ...

from Olivet, on the Loire river, in the

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

region, France. The cheese is made from cow's milk collected during the spring, when the cows graze along the banks of the Loire, and when their milk is believed to be the most flavorful. The cheese is then aged for at least one month; but typically for three months. Traditionally, the cheese was aged in containers filled with ash made from burning the clippings of grape-vines from the vineyard. The finished cheese has 45% milkfat. Today, the cheese is still made in cylinders filled with ash, imbuing a gray skin on the cheese from the ash. Olivet cendré has an earthy scent, and is considered to have a delicate taste.

References

French cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses {{Cheese-stub