Cantal Entre-Deux

When I read up on the cheese I had lined up for today I thought, as nice as that sounds I need something with a bit more ooomph to it. And so I changed it for tomorrow's cheese ... one of my favourites ... Cantal.

Now this is where I have a bit of a dilemma. There are some cheeses that have a number of variations, and I am not just talking different producers. Initially, my philosophy for the Cheese Challenge was if it has the same name, I will only count it once. But there are three variations of Cantal (Cantal, Cantal Entre-deux and Cantal Jeune) that each have their own AOC. So I think I might have to reconsider ... well today is Cantal Entre-Deux, and if towards the end I need another cheese or two ... the three varieties differ according to how long they are left to mature. Unfortunately, I could only get this Cantal - because what I should have done was had all three and compared them ... maybe that could be a legitimate blip for another day.

Anyway, Cantal is named after the Cantal Mountains in the Auvergne region of France. It is a firm cheese with a strong taste, made from unpasteurised milk from Salers cows that have been fed hay throughout the winter (mid November to mid April). It is also one of France's oldest cheeses, thought to date back to the Gauls - that is, pre-Roman occupation. Cantal was awarded AOC status in 1956, whereas Cantal Entre-Deux only in 1986. Cantal has a hard crust that may contain listeria bacteria, so it is advisable not to eat it (I did taste if before I knew that, and its not very pleasant anyway).

With a glass of Medoc ... just what I wanted this evening!