Salers

Salers is a French semi-hard cheeses originating from Salers in the volcanic region of the Cantal mountains of the Massif Central, Auvergne in central France. It is a hard pressed and cooked cheese that has to be made with unpasteurised milk from the Salers breed of cattle and animal rennet. Salers cheese can only be made between 15th April and 15th November according to French tradition.

Circular in shape each cheese is matured from between 3 and 45 months where it is turned regularly and the hard sticky brown rind is encouraged to develop.

Salers has been produced since ancient times, It is thought that this cheese has been produced in this region for at least 2,000 years. Salers came to prominence when the Marechal de Senneterre served it at the table of Louis XIV of France. Senneterre is also responsible for the introduction of Saint-Nectaire and Cantal, the later being the same cheese but named Cantal when the cheese has been made between 15th November and 15th April when the cows are fed on hay as opposed to the pastureland grass during the summer months.

Salers has benefited from the Appellation d’origine control (AOC) since 1961.

Traditional Salers producers are becoming increasingly rare, with fewer than 100 farmhouse producers remaining in the Auvergne region.