Alpine Cheeses

The remarkable variety of local cheeses and cheese-based dishes is one of the great pleasures of dining in the French Alps.

Reblochon is the most emblematic of Savoyard cheeses. It is produced from raw cow’s milk that comes from only three approved breeds of dairy cattle: Abondance, Tarine and Montbéliarde. To carry the A.O.P. (appellation d’origine protégée) label, the cows must graze on mountain pastures during the summer, and in winter, eat only hay from the same slopes. Creamy and gently tangy, Reblochon is eaten plain or incorporated into popular local dishes such as tartiflette, in which it is melted on a bed of cooked potatoes in a sauce of bacon and white wine.

Beaufort is a nutty hard cheese — similar to Gruyère, but without the holes — made with raw cow’s milk from high-altitude farms. It is prepared using 11 liters of milk for every kilogram of cheese. The milk is heated, and then the cheese is pressed into molds that produce a concave rind. Afterward, it is aged between six and 12 months in a cool, airy mountain cellar. Beaufort is commonly used to make fondue because it melts easily. It is also a superb eating cheese that pairs well with white wine.