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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from France, western Pyrenees

Ossau-Iraty

Whole ewe milk is set with rennet at 28–35 °C, cut to grains of 1 cm or less and stirred while warmed to no more than 44 °C. The pressed wheels are salted dry or in brine and ripened at 6–15 °C for at least 80 days (120 days for large wheels), with rinds turned and brushed. Made in 6 steps over 2.7 months. The longest step, ripen, turning and brushing, takes at least 2.6 months (Syndicat AOP Ossau-Iraty 2018) and runs at 6–15 °C (Syndicat AOP Ossau-Iraty 2018). Lactococcus lactis, the most numerous lactic bacterium whatever the milk or starter and Lactobacillus paracasei, which grows during ripening do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2.6 monthsSet[ossau-fiche]Ripen, turning and brushing
Temperature6–15 °CSet[ossau-fiche]Ripen, turning and brushing
AciditypH up to 5.5Set[ossau-fiche]Mould and press

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification sets the rennet and calcium chloride doses and no other amounts.
Whole ewe milk · Used as it is, not standardised; farm cheese uses raw milk; no cheese made in September or October[ossau-fiche]
At most 3 ml per 10 l of milk (rennet at 520 mg chymosin per litre)Rennet[ossau-fiche]
Harmless cultures of bacteria, yeasts and moulds · Some farm makes use a commercial starter, others none[ossau-fiche][feutry2012]
At most 3 ml per 10 lCalcium chloride, optional[ossau-fiche]
Salt · Dry or in brine of at most 330 g per litre[ossau-fiche]
Startercommercial lactic starter or none (raw-milk flora)

Total time across the recorded steps: 2.7 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: whole ewe milk from the western Pyrenees

Step 1 of 6
Collect whole ewe milk
Time
up to 2 days
Set
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus lactis
Lactobacillus paracasei
Lactobacilli increase

Output: whole ewe milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

raw-milk flora on farms

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

Ossau-Iraty is a pressed but uncooked ewe cheese; the curd is warmed to no more than 44 °C. No cheese is made in September and October, and cheese made on summer pastures can carry a special mark. The rind may be brushed with red pepper purée.

Milk
Whole ewe milk; raw for farm cheese; heat treatment allowed only in dairies
Ripening
At least 80 days (small format) or 120 days (large format) at 6–15 °C
Composition
Fat at least 50 % of dry matter; dry matter at least 58 %

Related ferments

Variants

  • FermierRaw milk only; renneted within 40 h of the oldest milking.
  • EstiveMade daily from raw milk in the shepherd's hut on summer pasture, renneted within 24 h.

Safety

Farm cheese is made from raw milk.

History and sources

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

  1. [ossau-fiche] Syndicat AOP Ossau-Iraty, Les conditions de fabrication, d'identification, d'affinage, d'étiquetage et de conditionnement des fromages AOP Ossau-Iraty (summary of the specification, updated 1 Feb 2018)spec
  2. [feutry2012] Feutry F., Oneca M., Berthier F., Torre P. 2012, Biodiversity and growth dynamics of lactic acid bacteria in artisanal PDO Ossau-Iraty cheeses made from raw ewe's milk with different starters, Food Microbiology 29(1):33–42, doi:10.1016/j.fm.2011.08.011 (abstract)paper