The must-haves
cheeses from Savoie
Welcome to the delicious world of Savoyard cheeses, true symbols of our mountains. In La Toussuire and the Maurienne Valley, a range of cheeses bear witness to a rich terroir and expertise passed down through the generations.
From the famous Beaufort to the Tomme de Savoie, via the Bleu de Bonneval, each cheese has its own history, characteristics and unique flavours.
Often known as the ‘King of the Alps’, Beaufort is a hard, pressed cheese made from raw, whole milk. Produced from the milk of Tarine and Abondance cows, it is made in the high mountains of Savoie.
Its rich flavour, creamy texture and subtle aromas make it a must-try among Savoyard specialities
The name Beaufort first appeared in 1865. Yet, less than a century later, the cheese was in danger of disappearing. A handful of farmers then took action and set up a new organisation to revive its production.
Beaufort was awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status on 4 April 1968. This mark of quality sets out the production rules, from grazing to maturing, in order to preserve the cheese’s distinctive character.
The production area for Beaufort cheese covers the Beaufortain, Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys, as well as part of the Val d’Arly.
The milk comes exclusively from Tarine and Abondance cows reared in this area. Production must not exceed an average of 5,000 kg of milk per cow per year across the herd.
The cows’ diet consists solely of grazed grass and hay as the staple feed. The use of silage is prohibited, and supplementary feeding is limited and closely monitored.
Beaufort must also undergo a minimum maturation period of 5 months.
Characteristics of Beaufort:
Beaufort cheese comes in several varieties, depending on the time of year and where it is produced. The cows’ diet, in particular, influences the colour of the cheese and the nuances of its flavour.
Rustic and aromatic, Tomme de Savoie is one of the iconic cheeses of the two Savoie regions. It is just as delicious as an aperitif as it is on a traditional cheese platter.
Its history dates back to the 16th century, in the heart of the Duchy of Savoy. It originated in the Alps, particularly in the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys, as well as in the Bauges and Chablais mountain ranges.
Originally, it was called ‘Toma’, a term derived from the Savoyard patois referring to a cheese made in mountain pastures and on farms to meet the needs of families.
Tomme de Savoie originated at a time when farmers’ lives were often hard. In particular, it provided a way to make use of the leftover skimmed milk used to make butter.
Long regarded as ‘the food of the poor’, it was a source of protein particularly prized by the people of Savoy.
However, in the 19th century, Tomme nearly disappeared. The increase in milk collection, mainly intended for the production of larger cheeses such as Emmental de Savoie or Beaufort, gradually reduced its prominence.
In 1901, farmers sought to protect the ‘Tomme de Savoie’ designation.
In 1978, they were granted a regional label defining a geographical area for the production and maturing of Tomme de Savoie. However, the origin of the milk still needed to be regulated, which led to further protection initiatives.
In 1996, Tomme de Savoie was finally awarded PGI status, with a set of specifications governing its production.
It is the only Tomme to bear a quality label and to offer several varieties with different fat contents.
Tomme de Savoie is produced exclusively in Savoie and Haute-Savoie, as well as in a few neighbouring communes in the departments of Ain and Isère.
The breeds of cow used are Montbéliarde, Abondance and Tarine. They are fed on fresh grass in summer, then on local fodder and non-GMO cereals during the winter.
Please note: not all tommes produced in Savoie are Tomme de Savoie PGI.
To bear this designation, Tomme de Savoie must, in particular:
Every year, 300,000 Tommes de Savoie are produced.
T L Sceno Grinding Wheel 1 Pad 652 Fr
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03 Tomme Pique Nique 634 Fr
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Unlike other Savoyard cheeses, whose history stretches back several centuries, Bleu de Bonneval is a more recent creation. It was developed in the 1990s, born of the combination of cheese-making expertise and the terroir of the Haute Maurienne.
3 Bleu de Bonneval-sur-Arc – Local cheese from the Haute-Maurienne-Vanoise Dairy Cooperative – Terroir – Direct from the producer – Alpes-Savoie
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Originally, every farming family had its own recipe for blue cheese for their own consumption. These traditions also gave rise to other cheeses, such as Bleu de Termignon.
In the 1990s, Jean-Pierre Pleynet, after several years working in a large factory producing Bleu d’Auvergne and Cantal, decided to take over the cheese dairy in Bonneval-sur-Arc when the opportunity arose.
His aim at the time was to return to a more intimate scale of production.
Initially, none of the blue cheese was intended for sale. Then a new idea took shape: to create a cheese combining his expertise in Bleu d’Auvergne with the terroir of the Haute Maurienne.
After several attempts to find the right balance between texture and flavour, Bleu de Bonneval was born.
Bleu de Bonneval is a blue-veined cheese made from raw, whole milk from Tarine and Abondance cattle. It uses the same quality of milk as that used for Beaufort, in accordance with the AOP specifications.
A wheel weighs around 2.5 kg, measures between 10 and 20 cm in height and is approximately 20 cm in diameter. It is matured for a minimum of 60 days in a cellar, allowing the cheese to develop its flavours and creaminess.
Bleu de Bonneval is a registered trademark of the Haute Maurienne Vanoise Dairy Co-operative. Around 48,000 wheelsare produced each year.
In La Toussuire, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses round off the region’s rich array of cheese specialities. Produced by local cheesemakers, they showcase two breeds of animal and the expertise that contributes to the diversity of cheeses available in the mountains.
In La Toussuire, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses round off the region’s rich array of cheese specialities. Produced by local cheesemakers, they showcase two breeds of animal and the expertise that contributes to the diversity of cheeses available in the mountains.
Lactic cheese, commonly known as ‘crottin’, comes in several varieties: fresh, creamy or ‘séchon’. It can be enjoyed plain or flavoured, depending on personal preference.
What distinguishes these three varieties is mainly their maturing time. Fresh cheese has a milder flavour, whilst the dry variety develops a more pronounced taste. In between, the creamy variety represents another stage in the cheese’s development.
Its production begins with the addition of rennet and lactic cultures to the goat’s milk. Once the milk has curdled, the cheese is moulded by hand. These precise movements give shape to these little specialities.
Goat’s milk tomme is made using a different method. The milk is first heated to around 40 °C: this is a heating stage, not a cooking stage, as the milk is not brought to the boil.
Rennet and starter cultures are then added to allow the milk to curdle. The curd is then broken up and moulded before being placed in a cellar to mature. The duration of this stage may vary depending on the cheese’s designation.
These various stages contribute to the production of Tomme and its final characteristics.
Our producer’s goat’s cheeses are made from the milk of the Chèvre des Savoie, a breed of goat that has historically been found in Savoie and Haute-Savoie.
Well-suited to mountain living conditions, this breed is characterised by its hardiness and the variety of its coats, which can be black, white or buff. It forms part of Savoy’s agricultural heritage and bears witness to the historic importance of goat farming on mountain farms.
The Savoie goat is now the focus of conservation efforts led by the Association for the Conservation of the Savoie Goat, founded in 2001. Its official recognition as a breed on 31 July 2020 marked an important milestone in its preservation.
Through the cheeses made from its milk, our producer is therefore also helping to promote this local breed and agricultural heritage.
A simple, indulgent moment to savour a local speciality: goat’s cheese.
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In La Toussuire, sheep’s-milk cheeses round off the diverse range of cheese specialities offered by local producers. Made from sheep’s milk, they showcase another aspect of dairy processing expertise and add variety to the enjoyment of the region’s produce.
Sheep’s milk has an interesting characteristic when it comes to cheese-making: it is more suitable for cheese-making than goat’s milk. This means that, from the same quantity of milk, it is possible to produce a larger quantity of cheese.
This milk can be used to make cheeses of various shapes and textures. These include tommes, as well as small round cheeses, briquettes, fresh cheeses and blue-veined cheeses. Some are soft and creamy, whilst others develop different textures and flavours as they mature.
These examples illustrate the diversity of sheep’s-milk cheeses. The sizes and varieties available at La Toussuire naturally depend on the output of our local producer.
The terms ‘ewe’ and ‘sheep’ refer to animals of the same species, but they do not refer to exactly the same animal. An ewe is an adult female, whilst a sheep generally refers to an adult castrated male. A breeding male is called a ram and a young one is calleda lamb.
For cheese-making, it is the milk of the ewe that is used, just as with goats and dairy cows.
