Abbaye de Tamié facts for kids

Abbaye de Tamié is a special soft cheese from France. It is made from cow's milk that has not been pasteurised. This cheese is very similar to another French cheese called Reblochon. What makes Abbaye de Tamié unique is that it is made only by the monks of Tamié Abbey. This abbey is located near Albertville in the Savoie area of the French Alps.

What Makes Abbaye de Tamié Cheese Special?

Abbaye de Tamié cheese has a unique look and taste. It is shaped like a flat wheel with slightly rounded edges. The outside crust has a pretty saffron (orange-yellow) color. As the cheese gets older, a light white fuzzy layer grows on its crust.

The inside of the cheese is creamy and soft. It has a smooth texture, but the very center might be a little bit firmer. The monks make about 400 kg (880 lb) of this cheese every day. They get the milk from eight different farms in the valley.

The monks sell the cheese in two main sizes:

• Petit Tamié: This is a smaller cheese, weighing about 550 to 600 grams; 19 to 21 oz. It is sold as a whole piece.
• Grand Tamié: This is a larger cheese, weighing around 1.4 to 1.5 kg; 3.1 to 3.3 lb. It has a thinner crust and is even softer inside. You can buy it whole or cut into pieces.

How Monks Make This Cheese

Making Abbaye de Tamié cheese is a careful process that the monks follow step-by-step.

Preparing the Milk

First, they warm unpasteurised whole milk to about 34 °C (93 °F). Then, they add special "fermenters" to the milk. These are like good bacteria that help the cheese form. The milk is then left to thicken for about 90 minutes.

Next, a natural ingredient called rennet is added. This helps the milk turn into solid clumps, which are called curds. Once the curds are firm enough, special knives are used to cut them. They are cut into small pieces, about the size of a pea.

Draining and Pressing

After cutting, the mixture sits for 20 minutes to let some liquid drain away. This liquid is called whey. Then, the curds are put into molds that have small holes. Machines press the curds for about 4 hours to squeeze out any leftover liquid.

The monks are very clever and don't waste anything! The whey that drains from the cheese is used to make methane gas. This gas then helps to heat the abbey's hot water system.

Salting and Aging

Once the cheeses are pressed, they are taken out of the molds. They are then placed on trays and soaked in a bath of salty water. This salty bath lasts for 2 or 3 hours, depending on the size of the cheese. Salting is important because it adds flavor, helps form the crust, and keeps the cheese fresh.

After salting, the cheeses are moved to the abbey's special cellars. These cellars are cool, staying at about 14 °C (57 °F), and have high humidity. This is the perfect place for the cheese to get older and develop its full flavor. The monks turn each cheese by hand every other day.

To keep the crust healthy and help the natural mold grow on the surface, the cheeses are dipped in salty water again. Then, they are rubbed and put back on the shelves to continue aging. The mold that grows on the cheese is naturally present in the cellar.

When the cheeses are perfectly aged, they are carefully packed and labeled by hand. The label tells important information, like when the cheese was made and its "best before" date. This date is usually about 45 days after the cheese is packed.

See also

In Spanish: Tamié para niños