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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Franche-Comté and neighbouring parts of eastern France

Cancoillotte

Skimmed cow milk is set into a white curd called metton, which is crumbled and ripened by yeasts for at least 12 hours at 20 °C or warmer. The ripened metton is then melted with water and butter into a runny, glossy cheese and packed hot, above 65 °C. Made in 6 steps over 12 h. The longest step, ripen the grains with yeasts, takes at least 12 h (INAO 2020) and runs at at least 20 °C (INAO 2020). Lactic cultures and Yeasts that ripen the crumbled metton do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 12 hSet[canco-cdc-2020]Ripen the grains with yeasts
Temperatureat least 20 °CSet[canco-cdc-2020]Ripen the grains with yeasts
AciditypH up to 5.4Set[canco-cdc-2020]Make white metton

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe rules set limits, not a recipe; the amounts are the maximum shares of the finished product.
Skimmed cow milk[canco-cdc-2020]
Lactic cultures, with or without a coagulating enzyme · For "lactic" or "rennet" metton[canco-cdc-2020]
Water · As liquid or steam; the finished cheese has at least 20 % dry matter[canco-cdc-2020]
Butter · Finished cheese below 15 % fat by total weight[canco-cdc-2020]
Up to 2 % of the finished productMelting salts (citrates and phosphates) · Optional[canco-cdc-2020]
Salt · Optional[canco-cdc-2020]
Up to 20 % in totalFlavourings · Garlic, herbs and spices up to 5 %; mushrooms and nuts up to 10 %; Jura wine, absinthe or kirsch up to 20 %[canco-cdc-2020]
Starterlactic cultures for the metton; yeasts ripen it

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 h

Start
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What changes: The cream is taken off the milk

Step 1 of 6
Skim the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Yeasts

Output: skimmed cow milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Cancoillotte is a cheese cooked twice. A low-fat skim-milk curd ripens with yeasts and is then melted with butter and water into a spreadable, almost liquid cheese, so it is low in fat.

Milk
Skimmed cow milk, made into metton
Ripening
Metton ripened at least 12 hours at 20 °C or more, then melted
Composition
At least 20 % dry matter; fat below 15 % of total weight

Related ferments

Variants

  • Flavoured cancoillotteWith garlic, herbs, spices, mushrooms, nuts, Jura wine, absinthe or kirsch, within set limits.
  • Smoked mettonThe ripened metton may be smoked before melting; liquid smoke is banned.

Safety

Packed hot, above 65 °C; kept cold, or at room temperature when the heat treatment allows it.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

A 1928 USDA bulletin lists "Canquillote, Cancoillotte, or Fromagère" of eastern France as a cooked cheese of the fromage fort kind.

  1. [canco-cdc-2020] INAO 2020, Cahier des charges de la dénomination « Cancoillotte », IGP application approved by the national committee on 15 October 2020spec
  2. [usda1928] Doane C.F., Lawson H.W., revised by Matheson K.J. 1928, Varieties of cheese, descriptions and analyses, USDA Bulletin 608 (entry "Fromage fort")archive