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Cheese from France, on the border of Burgundy and Champagne

Soumaintrain PGI

Whole cow milk, sometimes seeded with commercial lactic cultures or whey, is set at 22–32 °C with animal rennet and left to curdle for at least 8 hours, so the curd is mainly lactic. The curd is ladled into moulds, drains on its own, is turned out after at least 20 hours and dry-salted. It ripens at 13 °C or below and is washed at least four times, for a total of at least 21 days from renneting.

Fully documentedCheese22 daysPGI (EU), Reg. (EU) 2016/927; specification approved by French order of 18 November 2014Family: Washed-rind (smear-ripened) cheese family (Munster and Époisses as templates)

Recipe

Soumaintrain PGI, a photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: CandBee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives conditions, not doses. Cheeses are 90–130 mm across and weigh 180–600 g.
Whole cow milk from the area, collected within 48 hours of the oldest milking[soum-cdc]
Commercial lactic cultures or whey, when the milk is matured before renneting (optional)[soum-cdc]
Animal rennet[soum-cdc]
Dry salt[soum-cdc]
Water or salted water, for washing the rind[soum-cdc]
Starteroptional commercial lactic cultures or whey

Total time across the recorded steps: 22 days

Start
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What changes: Lactic cultures or whey go into the whole cow milk

Step 1 of 6
Mature the milk (optional)
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

If the milk is matured, it is seeded before renneting with commercial lactic cultures or whey.

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

At a glance

Whole cow milk, sometimes seeded with commercial lactic cultures or whey, is set at 22–32 °C with animal rennet and left to curdle for at least 8 hours, so the curd is mainly lactic. The curd is ladled into moulds, drains on its own, is turned out after at least 20 hours and dry-salted. It ripens at 13 °C or below and is washed at least four times, for a total of at least 21 days from renneting. Made in 6 steps over 22 days. The longest step, ripen and wash the rind, takes at least 21 days (Ministère de l'agriculture 2016) and runs at up to 13 °C (Ministère de l'agriculture 2016). Lactic cultures (commercial strains or whey) that sour the milk; the specification names no species does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 21 daysSet[soum-cdc][soum-sd]Ripen and wash the rind
Temperatureup to 13 °CSet[soum-cdc]Ripen and wash the rind
AciditypH up to 4.7Set[soum-cdc]Ladle into moulds

What makes this one different

Made from a slow lactic curd (at least 8 hours to set) rather than a quick rennet curd, and its rind is washed with plain or salted water.

Ripening
At least 21 days from renneting
Size
Flat cylinder 90–130 mm across, height 25–35 % of the diameter, 180–600 g
Composition
Dry matter at least 40 %; fat at least 48 % of dry matter

Related ferments

Safety

The specification does not say whether the milk must be raw or heat-treated. French Wikipedia says the cheese is made from raw or pasteurised milk. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid raw-milk cheese unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot. The specification bans freezing the milk, curd or fresh cheese and bans modified-atmosphere storage during ripening.

History and sources

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

The specification links the cheese to the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny (founded 1117) and cites a description of its making in Bérillon's 'La Bonne Ménagère Agricole' (1889).

  1. [soum-cdc] Ministère de l'agriculture, Cahier des charges de l'indication géographique protégée « Soumaintrain » (as registered by Reg. (EU) 2016/927), annexed to the notice of registrationspec
  2. [soum-sd] European Commission 2016, Publication of an application, single document 'Soumaintrain', EU No FR-PGI-0005-01298, OJ C 47, 6.2.2016, p. 11spec
  3. [soum-wp] Wikipédia (French), 'Soumaintrain (fromage)', outline article on the cheeseweb
  4. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov