🧀 Fourme d'Ambert

Fourme d'Ambert is a French blue-veined cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), made from cow's milk. According to the specification, it is an unpressed, uncooked, fermented and salted cheese. The production area covers parts of the Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Loire departments in central France, including the Forez mountains. ³

How it is made. The curd is cut into pieces the size of maize grains and stirred, then drained on a conveyor and in the mould by turning, without pressing. After salting, the cheese is pierced from the fourth day after renneting so that air reaches the inside and Penicillium roqueforti can form the blue veins. Temperature and humidity are controlled during maturing. ³

Cows and feed. Throughout the year the cows are fed only on fodder from the production area. Grass (grazed, wilted or silage) makes up at least 50 % of the annual basic ration, grazing lasts at least 150 days a year, and green brassicas and GMO feed are forbidden. ³

Look and taste. A cylinder 17–21 cm high and 12.5–14 cm across, weighing 1.9–2.5 kg, with at least 50 g of fat per 100 g of dry matter. The dry rind is grey to light grey with a bloom; white, yellow and red moulds may be present. The paste is white to cream, with cracks and evenly spread blue to green veins. The texture is supple and unctuous; the flavour is subtle and scented, milky with a fruity note, and a hint of salt and slight bitterness are accepted. ³

Labelling. The name may be used from the 28th day after renneting. The label must show the designation in letters at least two thirds the size of the largest letters and the EU PDO symbol. Cutting is allowed if it does not completely alter the texture. ³

From mountain huts to dairies. The specification dates this cheese to the early Middle Ages. In the 18th century it served as payment for renting jasseries, the thatched summer farms of the Forez mountains. There it was made only by women, while the men stayed in the village for haymaking and harvest. From the 20th century dairies gradually replaced the huts, and by about 20 years ago farmhouse production had disappeared altogether. It has since returned: 11 farmhouse makers were active in 2024. Written rules date from 1963, the French appellation from 1972, and EU protection from 2 July 1996. ³⁴⁵

Why it is so mild. The milk is seeded with Penicillium roqueforti, a mould linked to rye, once widely grown in Auvergne, and strains were selected for a soft, creamy paste. Because the mould needs air, the cheese is never pressed, which keeps small gaps inside, and from the fourth day long needles open channels through it. Its tall, narrow shape makes handling harder, since the cheese must keep standing upright as it ripens. Each cheese takes about 19 litres of milk. ⁴

Fourme d'Ambert or Roquefort? Shoppers often compare blue cheeses, and the useful difference lies in the process. Fourme d'Ambert is made from cow's milk, cut into pieces the size of maize grains and drained without pressing, so small gaps stay inside. From the fourth day after renneting it is pierced so air reaches the paste and Penicillium roqueforti forms the veins. The result is the mildest of the blues, supple and unctuous, in a tall cylinder of 1.9–2.5 kg. Other blue cheeses, such as Gorgonzola, are separate cheeses with their own specifications.

Look for the name Fourme d'Ambert with the words Appellation d'origine and the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin), in letters at least two thirds the size of the largest on the label. The name cannot be used before the 28th day after renneting. Expect a grey rind with bloom, a white to cream paste and evenly spread blue to green veins. Pieces may be cut if the texture is not altered. Look for it at a supermarket cheese counter or a specialist cheese shop.

Why it matters to you. Fourme d'Ambert is known as the mildest of the blues, so it suits people who find others too strong, and the producers call it France's most eaten cow's-milk blue. Sales tripled from 1,500 tonnes in 1972 to 5,500 in 2023. The name cannot be used before day 28, and raw, thermised and pasteurised milk are all listed, so ask if that matters to you. It goes well with pear, walnut, fig or rye bread. ³⁴⁶⁷