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Cantal Cheese is a cheese made in the Cantal region in the south of Auvergne, France.

It is a semi-firm cheese, but hard by French norms.

Cantal Cheese is made from cow's-milk from up to three different breeds of cattle, one of which is Salers cattle. There are both pasteurized and unpasteurized versions. Cantal Fermier, a farmhouse version, is made from unpasteurized milk; the cheese made from pasteurized milk is called "Cantal Laitier."

The milk is heated to 90 F (32 C), and has rennet added. The curd is cut, put in a bag, pressed to make a slab, then the slab is cut, pressed again, allowed to rest, then crumbled, salted, put in moulds lined with cloth, and pressed a final time, and sent for aging.

By AOC regulations, Cantal Cheese undergoes a minimum 30 days aging, but it can be aged up to six months. As it ages, the greyish-brown-coloured rind will develop orangey-red mould, and inside the colour changes from ivory to buttery-yellow.

Young Cantal is called "jeune"; six months or more is called "vieux", and in between is called "entre deux." When young, it is moist, rubbery, mild and sweet, somewhat like Lancashire cheese. When old, it will be drier and sharper. Old Cantal can be grated.

Cantal is made by several producers in three sizes: a wheel of 10 kg (22 pounds), a cylinder of 20 kg (44 pounds), and a cylinder of 40 kg (88 pounds.) The 40 kg cylinder is 40 cm across.

Cooking Tips
Trim and discard the rind of Cantal Cheese.

Nutrition
Cantal Cheese has a 45% fat content

History
Cantal was being made in the 1600s. Some people like to date it, with a flourish, back to the Romans.

Cantal got its AOC in 1980.

A salmonella outbreak in the summer of 2001 in France was linked to young Cantal cheese that had been made from unpasteurized milk.

Language Notes
Cantal Cheese is named after the Cantal range of mountains.

It is sometimes referred to as "French cheddar", but it is nothing like cheddar, though some people find the taste somewhat reminiscent.

See Also:

Appellation of Controlled Origin, Salers Cheese

Other entries for:

Semi-Firm Cheeses
Appenzeller Cheese (Quarter Fat), Ardrahan Cheese, Asadero Cheese, Blue Cheeses, Botton Cheese, Brunost Cheese, Buxlow Paigle, Caerphilly Cheese, Cantal Cheese, Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheese, Cheshire Cheese, Chèvre, Chihuahua Cheese, Cotherstone Cheese, Criollo Cheese, Danbo Cheese, Danish Fontina Cheese, Edam Cheese, Farmer's Cheese, Fontal Cheese, Gaperon Cheese, Grimbister Cheese, Huntsman Cheese, Jalapeño Cheese, Leerdammer Cheese, Liederkranz Cheese, Livarot Cheese, Maasdam Cheese, Manchego Cheese (Mexican), Monterey Jack Cheese, Morbier Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Pavé d'Auge Cheese, Pavé d'Isigny Cheese, Pavé de Berry Cheese, Penyston Cheese, Quartirolo Cheese, Queso con Loroco, Ricotta Salata Cheese, Tetilla Cheese, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Wensleydale Cheese

Other entries for:

Cheese
Affinage, American Cheeses, Casu Marzu, Cheese Rinds, Creamery, Double/Triple-Cream Cheese, Extra-Hard Cheeses, Firm Cheeses, Goat's Milk Cheeses, Mexican Cheeses, Pate (of a Cheese), Processed Cheese, Queso Fundido, Rennet, Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Skim-Milk Cheeses, Smear-Ripened Cheeses, Soft Cheeses, Surface-Ripened Cheeses, Sweet Curd Cheeses, The Crumblies, Truckle, Washed-Curd Cheeses, Washed-Rind Cheeses, Yak Cheese, Yeel Cheese

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Dairy
Butterfat, Butter, Milk, Nondairy Topping