Cantal
Cantal, a large cylindrical cheese named after the Cantal Mountains in the Auvergne Region, is one of the oldest cheeses in France dating back to Gaulic times. There are now two varieties: “fermier” made in more limited quantities from raw cow-milk; and “laitier” made from pasteurized cow-milk for wider commercial distribution. The cheese is aged to three different varieties: jeune (aged 1–2 months); entre-deux (aged 2–6 months); and vieux (aged more than 6 months). Cantal cheese was granted AOC status in 1956.
Cabécou
Le Lot is home to the Cabécou, a small round cheese made from creamy non-pasteurized goat's milk measuring 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter and 1.5 centimeters in thickness. The cheese originated in the Aquitaine, named after the Occitan word "cabra/craba" for goat, and is one of the region's oldest and most famous products. Production dates back at least to the 15th Century where the cheese is recorded in a monograph as factor in sharecropping and taxation as a value in the tithe to the Bishop. Cabécou was awarded AOC status in 1996
CHEESE
Blue D'auvergne
Bleu d'Auvergne is a blue cheese, made from cow's milk. 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.
Regional Cheeses
France boast 350 to 450 distinct types of French cheese grouped into eight family branches (les huit familles de fromage). The wider Midi-Pyrénées and Auvergne regions surrounding Le Lot are home to several of France's Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) recognized cheeses, including: Rocamadour, Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal and Saint-Nectaire.
Saint-Nectaire
Saint-Nectaire is a light creamy cow-milk cheese. Production dates to the 1700s in the Auvergne region in the volcanic grasslands surrounding the Pays des Monts-Dore. Today, the Saint-Nectaire AOC includes 72 villages, 52 in Puy-de-Dome and 20 in Cantal. The cheese is made with a curdling and uncurling technique using rennet that requires significant amounts of milk, 13-14 liters for a single small cylinder. Saint-Nectaire was awarded AOC status in 1955.