Abondance cheese
| Abondance | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Abondance cheese wheels | |
Country of origin | France |
Region, town | Haute-Savoie, Abondance |
Source of milk | Cows |
| Pasteurised | No |
| Texture | semi-hard |
| Aging time | 90 days |
| Certification | French AOC 1990 |
| Named after | abondance, Val d'Abondance[*] |
 Related media on Commons | |
Abondance (French pronunciation: [abɔ̃dɑ̃s] ⓘ) is a semi-hard, fragrant, raw-milk cheese made in the Haute-Savoie department of France. Its name comes from a small commune also called Abondance.
Description
[edit]A round of Abondance weighs approximately 10 kg (22 lb), and its aroma is comparable to Beaufort, another French cheese variety. It has a nutty taste.[1]
History
[edit]Abondance has been known for its cheese since at least the 14th century, when monks from the Sainte Marie d'Abondance Monastery are recorded to have supplied cheese to the papal conclave at Avignon.[2]
Abondance cheese was granted an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in 1990.[3] It also holds an appellation d’origine protégée, meaning abondance makers have to follow strict rules to ensure traditional production.[4]
In 1998, 873 tonnes of abundance cheese were produced (+16.4 percent since 1996), 34 percent from local farms.
Production
[edit]Abondance cheese can be either artisanal or farm-made; it is now made exclusively in the area of Abondance in Chablais, Haute-Savoie. Abondance is made from milk produced by three breeds of cattle: Abondance, Montbéliarde, and Taurine. The proportion of the Abondance breed within the herd of cattle that produces the milk must be a minimum of 55 percent.[5]
The ageing period for Abondance is a minimum of three months[1] on specially-prepared spruce boards.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "What is Abondance Cheese?". www.cheese.com. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
- ↑ "Authenticité". fromageabondance.fr. Archived from the original on 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
- ↑ "Un savoir-faire - Abondance". fromageabondance.fr. Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
- ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique (2026-08-27). "France to relax cheese production rules after drought takes toll on grazing land". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
- ↑ Site inao.gouv.fr, ed. (2007). "Décret n° 2007-949 du 15 mai 2007 modifié relatif à l'appellation d'origine contrôlée " Abondance "". Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "The Abondance Cheese | Châtel Tourist Office". OT - Châtel. 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Abondance (cheese) at Wikimedia Commons