Abbaye de Tamié () is a soft cheese made from unpasteurised cow's milk, similar in style to
Reblochon
Reblochon () is a soft washed-rind and smear-ripened French cheese made in the Alpine region of Haute-Savoie from raw cow's milk. It has its own AOC designation.
Reblochon was first produced in the Thônes and Arly valleys, in the Aravis ...
and produced exclusively by the monks of
Tamié Abbey
Tamié Abbey (''Abbaye de Tamié'' or ''Abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Tamié'') is a Cistercian monastery, located in the Bauges mountain range in the Savoie region of France.
History
The monastery was founded in 1132, as a daughter house of Bonnevaux A ...
,
near to
Albertville
Albertville (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France.
It is best k ...
in the
Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'', in the French
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
.
Style
Tamié is pressed and molded in the form of a flat wheel of cheese with slightly convex edge.
It is distinguished by the saffron colour of the crust
that, in the final aging process, is covered with a light white down. The creamy soft cheese is even in texture, but with a slightly firmer centre.
About is produced each day from the milk of cows from 8 farms in the valley.
The monks market it in two styles:
* "'' Petit Tamié''" () sold individually.
* "'' Grand Tamié''" (), with a thinner crust and softer, sold individually or cut,
Manufacture
Unpasteurised whole milk is warmed to . Cultivated fermenters, made at the abbey, are added. This is then left to coagulate for about 90 minutes. The natural
rennet
Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...
is added to obtain the solids. When this is sufficiently firm, the curdle is cut using special knives, to separate the curds and whey. The time and the speed of the cutting regulates the size of the curds to that of a pea. The mixture is then left for 20 minutes to drain, then placed in moulds with small drainage holes and pressed by machine to remove any remaining liquids for about 4 hours. The whey is not wasted, but processed into methane which is used to heat the abbey's hot water system.
The cheeses are removed from the presses and put onto pallets which are then immersed in a bath of salty water for 2 or 3 hours, according to the size. Salting has several functions: it affects the taste, crust formation and is a preserving agent. The cheeses are then ready to be matured in the cellar where they will lose some weight in accordance with the age-old tradition of the "Angels' share".
Cheeses are aged in the vaulted cellars of the abbey where the temperature is maintained at , with high humidity. They will be turned manually every other day. To maintain the crust and encourage the development of the mould on the surface, the cheeses are again bathed in brine and then rubbed and returned to the shelves to mature. The mould is naturally present in the cellar. When they have attained their optimum maturity, they are packed and labeled by hand. The label conveys important manufacturing information and the best-before date (about 45 days after packing).
See also
*
References
External links
Website of the Abbaye de Tamié
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbaye de Tamie
French cheeses
Arpitan cheeses