Soumaintrain
Also known as: Soumaintrain IGP
Soumaintrain is a soft washed-rind PGI cheese from cow's milk in northern Burgundy (Aube, Côte-d'Or, Yonne), with a lactic taste.
Soumaintrain is a soft Burgundian washed-rind PGI cheese made from whole cow's milk. It is mainly lactic: a flat cylinder 9–13 cm across and weighing 180–600 g, with a slightly moist ivory rind, a soft smooth paste and a distinct milky, slightly acid taste with a "noble" bitterness.
The milk is collected within 48 hours, with no fat or protein added or removed, and concentrating it is forbidden. The curd sets by lactic acidification, drains by itself and is dry-salted, and the rind is washed at least four times during ripening. After 21 days the rind runs from ivory to ochre, slightly moist and sometimes wrinkled, and a layer of broken-down paste forms under it. Dry matter is at least 40 % and fat at least 48 % of dry matter.
The area is northern Burgundy: parts of the departments of Aube, Côte-d'Or and Yonne, with wet valleys of the Armance, Armançon, Yonne and Serein. Cows graze at least five months a year, and at least 75 % of the fodder comes from the area. The first traces of the cheese are linked to the 12th century and Pontigny abbey, founded in 1117; an 1889 book calls Soumaintrains "the best cheeses of the country". Since 1984 a Soumaintrain and foie gras gathering has been held each October in the cheese's historical home.
The smell is animal or vegetal, with notes of mushroom, humus, hay and straw that stay long in the mouth.
Why it matters to you: it is a local Burgundian cheese rarely found far from the region.
Facts
| Registered | PGI; Reg. (EU) 2016/927 (2016) |
|---|---|
| Raw material | Whole cow's milk, collected within 48 hours |
| Region | Northern Burgundy: Aube, Côte-d'Or, Yonne, France |
| Duration | Rind washed at least four times; judged at 21 days |
| Taste | Milky, slightly acid, noble bitterness; mushroom, humus, hay |
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2016/927 (2016) |
How it connects to Cheese
Soumaintrain → kind of → 🟠 Washed-rind cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Part of
- 🟠 Washed-rind cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇫🇷 French cheeses
Frequently asked questions
What milk is Soumaintrain made from?
Only whole cow's milk.
What does washed rind mean?
The rind is washed at least four times during ripening.
What shape and weight does it have?
A flat cylinder 9–13 cm across, 180–600 g.
What does it taste like?
Milky and slightly acid, with a noble bitterness and notes of mushroom, humus, hay and straw.
Is it true that monks created it?
The first traces of its making are linked to the 12th century and Pontigny abbey, where Cistercian monks accepted rent in ripened cheese.
Similar
🧀 Livarot · 🧀 Maroilles · 🧀 Munster · 🧀 Esrom · 🧀 Fromage de Herve · 🧀 Salva Cremasco
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.