FORMAGGIO.IT

Il Portale del Formaggio

Tome des Bauges

Name of Group of Producers

Syndicat Interprofessionnel de la Tome des Bauges (S.I.T.O.B.).

Communauté des communes des Bauges
F – 73630 Le Châtelard

CERTIPAQ

44 rue de la Quintinie 75 015 PARIS
Tel: (33 1) 45 30 92 92
Fax: (33 1)45 30 93 00

Tome des Bauges is a pressed, salted cheese with surface mould made from either whole or semiskimmed raw cow's milk. It is cylindrical with a diameter of 18 to 20cm, 3 to 5cm in height and weighs between 1.1 and 1.4 kg when matured. It has a ridged surface with bumps and irregularities. The rind is 2 to 3mm thick, grey in colour  and may have yellow to brown patches of naturally-developing mould. The cheese is slightly firm to flexible, pale yellow in colour and may have small eyes. It contains a minimum level of 45g of fat per 100g of cheese, after total desiccation and the dry matter weighs no less than 50g per 100g of cheese. Tome des Bauges may be sold in portions provided, in particular, that all portions contain the rind on all three sides.

The production of milk and the production and maturing of cheese are carried out in the geographical area covering the following municipalities:

— Municipalities in Haute-Savoie fully covered in the area: Allèves, Chapelle St Maurice (La), Chevaline, Cons Ste Colombe, Entrevernes, Gruffy, Leschaux, Quintal, St Eustache, Seythenex and Viuzla-Chiésaz.

— Municipalities partly covered in the area: Cusy, Doussard, Duingt, Faverges, Giez, Lathuile, Marlens and St-Jorioz.

— Municipalities in Savoie fully covered in the area: Aillon-le-Jeune, Aillon-le-Vieux, Allondaz, Arith, Bellecombe en Bauges, Châtelard (Le), Cléry, Compôte (La), Curienne, Déserts (Les), Doucy-en-Bauges, Ecole, Jarsy, Lescheraines, Mercury, Montcel (Le), Motte-en -Bauges La), Noyer (Le), Pallud, Plancherine, Puygros, St-François-de-Sales, St-Offenge-Dessus, St-Offenge-Dessous, Ste-Reine, Thoiry, Thuile (La), Trevignin and Verrens-Arvey.

— Municipalities partly covered in the area: Marthod, Montailleur, Pugny-Chatenod, St-Jean-d'Arvey, St Jean de la Porte, St Pierre d'Albigny and Thenesol.

The milk is collected from an area within 15km of the production site.

The milk used is raw and whole. Milk for maturing may be semi-skimmed. This milk must be worked once a day.

The milk enters the production process within a minimum of 12 hours after traditional practice of keeping milk at a temperature of over 10 °C, or within a maximum of 28 hours where the milk is chilled to a temperature of between 6 °C and 10 °C, in which case the milk may not have undergone more than two consecutive treatments.

Renneting is carried out at a temperature of between 32° C and 35 °C. Production is carried out in an open copper vat with a maximum capacity of 3 000 litres.

After draining, the curds are the size of a kernel of maize. The curds are then heated to a temperature of between 35 °C and 40 °C. Neither the removal of lactose nor the addition of water are authorised. The cheese is moulded either manually or by gravity. Neither extraction using a curd pump nor the use of micro-perforated moulds are authorised. The cheeses are pressed by stacking for a minimum of 7 hours, during which time they are turned at least four times. The cheeses are dry salted manually and dairy cheeses may be placed in brine. The cheeses are then matured for at least five weeks from the date of renneting. They are stored at a temperature no less than 4 °C.