🧀 Saint-Marcellin

Saint-Marcellin is a small French soft cheese made from cow's milk, with a protected geographical indication (PGI). It is made east of the Rhône, between the plains of the Lyonnais and the Vercors and Chartreuse massifs, and is named after the small town of Saint-Marcellin in Isère, once the main market for this cheese. ¹

Its history goes back to the 15th century. According to the specification, the first mentions are in the household accounts of Louis XI, and it appeared on royal tables from 1461. ⁴ Until the 19th century it was a small home-made "tomme" that farm women made from mixed goat's and cow's milk. It took its name from the market in Saint-Marcellin, held three times a week. In 1863 the minister Auguste Casimir-Perier tasted it at the Beaucroissant fair and asked to have it sent to his château every week. ⁶

Collectors took the cheese to the cities, and then dairies appeared. Around 1870, farmers began buying cheese from farms and taking it to Grenoble, Lyon, Saint-Étienne and Avignon. After the railway and a station at Saint-Marcellin arrived in 1864, trade grew. To even out the shape, the collectors handed out earthenware moulds. Around 1925 they opened the first dairies and began making the cheese from cow's milk only. ⁴

Its rules were written into law over almost a century. A 1935 law let chambers of agriculture describe local cheeses, and Saint-Marcellin got a definition. A 1942 decree still allowed goat's milk to be added. A 1980 decree set a diameter of about 70 mm and a weight of at least 80 g. ⁴ A makers' union has existed since 1971 and an interprofessional committee since 1994. In 2013 the EU registered the name as a PGI. ³

The cheese is made in 274 communes of three departments. These are communes of Isère, Drôme and Savoie with a mild climate: 9–11 °C on average over the year and 800–1,100 mm of rain. North–south winds have long dried walnuts and cheese in hanging baskets called tommiers. ⁴ The milk comes mainly from Montbéliarde (66%) and Holstein (25%) cows. Cows must graze for at least 180 days a year, at least 80% of their feed must come from the area, and grass makes up at least half of the ration. ⁶

The method follows farmhouse tradition. Milk comes from no more than four milkings and is raw or thermised. It is ripened at 18–25 °C and curdled in vessels of up to 200 litres for 12–24 hours. The curd goes into moulds with rounded edges, drains for at least 14 hours and is dry-salted on both sides. Ripening has three phases: airing at 15–26 °C, drying, and a ripening room at 7–14 °C. The cheese may be packed no earlier than the 10th day after renneting. ⁴

Each cheese is a small round disc. It is 65–80 mm across and 20–25 mm high and weighs at least 80 g. The rind is white, beige or grey-blue. ² The cheese is either dry (over 44% dry matter) and firm, as local tradition prefers, or soft (over 40%) and creamy. ⁵ A very soft one "runs away", so it is sold in a small ceramic dish. The taste is frank and moderately salty, with honey and fruit notes. ⁶

Production is steady. In 2024, 2,757 tonnes were sold, 53 tonnes of them farmhouse. That is 1% more than in 2023 and 3% more than in 2017. ⁷ According to the committee, the sector has 134 milk producers and 16 processors, with about 5,500 cows. In 2018 they made 32.4 million cheeses. ⁶

Saint-Marcellin or Camembert, Brie? Compare the process. Saint-Marcellin is a small disc, 65–80 mm across and at least 80 g, made from whole cow's milk that is raw or thermised. The milk curdles for 12–24 hours in vessels of up to 200 litres, and the curd drains for at least 14 hours in moulds with rounded edges before it is dry-salted. It then airs, dries and ripens in three phases, and may be packed no earlier than the tenth day after renneting. The rind is white, beige or grey-blue, and the cheese is either dry and firm or soft and creamy.

Look for the name Saint-Marcellin with the EU PGI symbol (protected geographical indication): the milk, the making and the ripening all come from one area. It is a small round disc, 65–80 mm across and 20–25 mm high, with a white, beige or grey-blue rind. A very soft one is often sold in a small ceramic dish. You will find it at a cheese counter, a delicatessen, a specialist cheese shop or a supermarket chilled section.

Why it matters to you. The PGI logo guarantees that the milk, the making and the ripening all come from one area. Take the cheese out of the fridge an hour before serving. To make it softer, keep it in a closed box at the bottom of the fridge; to dry it, leave it in the open air in the kitchen. ⁵ It goes well with white and red Rhône Valley wines, walnuts, figs and mountain honey. It can be baked and served with ravioles. ⁶