Sainte-Maure de Touraine

1. History

The Sainte-Maure de Touraine originates from a legend where Arab women, after the Saracen defeat at Poitiers in 732, taught locals on the Sainte-Maure plateau to make this goat milk log-shaped cheese.Historical records confirm goat farming in Touraine from the 9th century. Prized in the Middle Ages and Renaissance on royal tables, it is mentioned by Balzac. Production grew with local markets and early dairies in the late 19th century.

2. Physical characteristics

This cheese is a truncated cone log, 45-60 mm diameter, 14-17 cm long, weighing 125-300 g.It is pierced lengthwise by a rye straw bearing the producer's name. The paste is soft, white or ivory, with a charcoal-ashed rind and bluish surface molds. Hand-molded in specific molds after 24-hour lactic coagulation.

3. Taste profile

The flavor ranges from creamy and fresh when young to drier and more intense with aging.Goaty notes with nutty hints and slight bitterness from the ash. Texture is creamy to firm depending on age, balancing mildness and character. Best enjoyed at room temperature to reveal its complexity.

4. Production zone and period

Produced in southern Touraine, mainly Indre-et-Loire and parts of Indre and Loir-et-Cher.The AOP zone covers 34 communes around Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine. Goats are fed local vegetation. Production is seasonal, peaking in spring and summer with goat lactation.

5. Certification

Awarded AOC in 1990, then AOP in 1996 (confirmed European AOP in 2009).It is France's first goat cheese AOP. Specifications require raw whole goat milk from Alpine, Saanen, or Poitevine breeds, hand-molding, and natural draining. Ensures traditional methods and precise geographic origin.