Soumaintrain

1. History

Soumaintrain is a cheese with origins dating back to the Middle Ages, with the first documented traces in 1117 when Cistercian monks from Pontigny Abbey produced it to pay their land rent. From 1631 onwards, the cheese served as a tithe to Pontigny Abbey in Yonne. In the 19th century, Soumaintrain experienced its golden age, with demand so high that production was insufficient. The cheese nearly disappeared but was revived in the 2000s, and in 2011, the Association for the Defense and Promotion of Soumaintrain Cheese was established.

2. Physical characteristics

Soumaintrain is a soft-paste cheese with a washed rind, made from raw or pasteurized cow's milk. Round in shape, it measures approximately 12 centimeters in diameter and 4 centimeters in thickness, weighing around 400 grams. Its rind displays a pale yellow to ochre color, slightly wrinkled and moist. The paste, ivory-white in color, is creamy, smooth, slightly grainy and delicately melting, with a fat content of 45%.

3. Taste profile

Soumaintrain offers a fine, delicate paste with a lactic taste, enriched by the cows' diet of forage and grass. Aging enhances vegetable aromas such as mushroom, humus, hay and straw, as well as woody notes. As aging progresses, animal nuances emerge. The water-washed rind brings different, quite creamy aromas.

4. Production zone and period

Soumaintrain originates from the eponymous village in Yonne, at the far north of Burgundy bordering the Aube department. The region is characterized by lush herbaceous plains crossed by humid valleys with a cool, damp climate. The cheese can be farmhouse (milk from a single herd) or dairy (milk collected from multiple farms). Production follows a traditional process: milk is matured for one day, heated and coagulated for another day, ladled into molds, then aged in caves for three to four weeks at temperatures between 12°C and 14°C.

5. Certification

Soumaintrain obtained Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in June 2016, approved by the European Commission. This certification recognizes unique expertise on a singular and clearly defined territory, the result of patient work and shared commitment by the entire sector.