live le lot

Following an initial hand salting,  producers spike the cylinders with long thin needles, allowing oxygen to circulate. The mold feeds on the cow-milk's protein, crawling through the small cracks and crevices of the cheese. Proteolysis and lipolysis then create the tension between the creaminess of Blue D'auvergne (resulting from the proteolysis breakdown the milk protein) and sharp blue cheese flavor (Resulting from the lipolysis breakdown of the milk fat). Tradition hand needles have long since given way to the mechanical process which allows more homogenous marbling throughout the cheese. 

BLEU D'AUVERGNE

Finally, the cylinders are placed in cool, humid cellars or refrigrators to age for a minimum four week period to develop taste. Blue D'auvergne can be found throughout Le Lot in cheese store, restaurants and super markets. The cheese was awarded Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in 1975.

Blue D'auvergne

Bleu d'Auvergne is a blue cheese, made from cow's milk, produced in the neighboring region of Auvergne. Production dates to the 1850s following its creation by renown French cheesemaker Antoine Roussel. Roussel induced veins of blue mold into his cheese by using molds of rye bread. Today, modern techniques introduce the mold by a mechanical needling process. The cheese is then aged for approximately four weeks in cool, wet cellars for the mold to grow. This short aging period relative to other blue cheese yields a rich creamy flavor with hints of mushrooms and the terroir.

Blue D'auvergne is produced using penicillium glaucum mold spores (in contrast to other blue cheeses like Roquefort that use Penicillium Roqueforti). Local cow's milk (and local only) is mixed with the penicillium and curdled. The curd, once slice and drained, is delicately stirred to allow each grain of curd to properly drain. Cheese molds are then used to give Blue D'auvergne its cylindrical shape.