The Vacherin The melting delight

Vacherin is a soft cheese with a washed rind, wrapped in spruce bark to give it a woody aroma. Its melting, creamy texture makes it a star of winter meals, often eaten melted or with a spoon. Made mainly in winter in the mountain pastures of Savoie, it is a testament to ancestral know-how.

Vacherin d’Abondance, a French variety, its Doubs counterpart, Mont d’Or, and its Swiss counterpart, Vacherin Fribourgeois, share similar characteristics but belong to different appellations because of their production regions. Mont d’Or, in particular, is famous for being prepared in a “hot box”, where the cheese is melted directly in its rind in the oven, an unmissable culinary experience.

Vacherin from Abondance valley, although rare and produced in small quantities, remains a real discovery. Its history dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was made by the canons of the Abbey of Abondance. It is a seasonal cheese, made only in winter with milk from cows kept in cowsheds. Unlike other vacherins, this one does not have a PDO, but its unique flavour is well worth rediscovering.

Ideal with jacket potatoes and a salad, this washed-rind Savoyard cheese has a soft, melt-in-the-mouth character, perfect for lovers of artisan cheese.