Valençay () is a
cheese made in the province of
Berry in central
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 is derived from the town of
Valençay
Valençay () is a commune in the Indre department in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Geography
Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley. It sits at the end of a plateau. on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon. Va ...
in the
Indre department.
Distinctive in its truncated pyramidal shape, Valençay is an unpasteurised
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
-milk cheese weighing and around in height. Its rustic blue-grey colour is made by the natural molds that form its rind, then darkened with a dusting of charcoal. The young cheese has a fresh, citric taste, with age giving it a nutty taste characteristic of goat cheeses.
The cheese achieved
AOC
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...
status in 1998 making Valençay the first region to achieve AOC status for both its cheese and
its wine.
History
The province Berry has been the home to many cheeses for centuries, and has produced
Selles-sur-Cher
Selles-sur-Cher (, ) is a commune in the French department of Loir-et-Cher, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France.
The name of the commune is known internationally for its goat cheese, Selles-sur-Cher, which was first made in t ...
,
Crottin de Chavignol
Crottin de Chavignol is a goat cheese produced in the Loire Valley. This cheese is the claim to fame for the village of Chavignol, France, which has only two hundred inhabitants.
History
The small cylindrical goat cheese from the area around C ...
and
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre () is a commune in the Indre department in central France.
The commune is known internationally for its goat's cheese, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, that was first made in the village in the 19th century.
Geography
The commune ...
among others.
One apocryphal tale has it that
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
having returned from his disastrous campaigns in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
stopped at the castle at
Valençay
Valençay () is a commune in the Indre department in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Geography
Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley. It sits at the end of a plateau. on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon. Va ...
. Their local pyramidal cheese apparently aroused unpleasant memories as he alleged then cut the top off in fury with his sword leaving the shape that survives to the present.
Manufacture
The
curd
Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...
is drained and placed in a mould. After being removed it is covered with charcoal dust and left to ripen in a humid, ventilated room. Ripening lasts for three weeks during which time the characteristic external mould forms and the central pate—initially crumbly—softens.
The cheese is available between March and December, with peak manufacture between April and August.
See also
*
List of goat milk cheeses
Goat cheese is produced using goat milk, the milk of domestic goats. Goat milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, including cheese. Myriad goat milk cheeses are produced around the world.
Varieties
* Anari cheese
* Añejo ch ...
References
External links
Extraits de terroir, destinés au partage...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valencay
French cheeses
French products with protected designation of origin
Goat's-milk cheeses
Berry, France