Beaufort cheese

Beaufort is a firm cheese made from raw cows' milk and counted among the gruyère family. It is an Alpine cheese produced in the Beaufortain, Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys of the Savoie region in the French Alps, and the Val d'Arly also contributes to production. Makers use about eleven litres of milk for each kilogram of cheese, and the milk used for one variety comes from Tarine or Abondance cows grazing mountain pastures. The curd is cast in a beechwood hoop that gives the wheel its concave edge, pressed for a day, brined, and then kept on spruce shelves while its rind is smear-ripened with a mixture called morge, after which it ages for six to twelve months or longer in a cool mountain cellar. The paste is pale yellow, smooth and creamy without the holes of some other Alpine cheeses, with a distinct aroma. There are summer, alpine pasture and winter varieties. It melts easily, so it is commonly used for fondue, and it was first certified as an appellation d'origine contrôlée in 1968.