Although proud indeed of this star-cheese of Franche-Comté, we realize it is up to us to satisfy the curiosity of its growing number of fans. So, for all the amateurs of the cheese with the fruity taste the Comté trail opens wide to welcome you.
A cheese protected by its label
Comté is, without a shadow of doubt, an original product of the region. Made from a centuries-old recipe originating among the farms of the Massif of the Jura with the raw milk supplied exclusively by the Montbéliard cow, it is ripened for a period of at least 4 months. Today, protected by the "AOP* guarantee label, it can only be produced in the Jura, the Doubs and the Ain regions. It continues to be produced in the traditional way in the 170 small village cheese dairies which also go by the name of "fruitières" or fruiterer's.
Comté is - just delicious !
It is the number one French AOP cheese in terms of tonnage – more tons of this cheese are produced than of any other French AOP cheese – over 50.000 tons a year. Comté is famous the world over. Is its unique taste the reason for its success ? We think it might be. Every cheese-wheel having a slightly different taste: everything depends on the milk, the season, the cheese-maker's touch, the cellar… A Comté coming from the Hauts Plateaux du Saugeais will not have the same taste as another produced in Val d'Amour, as anyone from the Jura will tell you and, as we are about it, this is the whole purpose of the Comté trail: to have you meet the artisans of this cheese and much more than that…
From grass slopes to the farm
While all roads lead to Rome, you will realize that in the Doubs and Jura all trails meet at Comté. First of all there is the grass… for the milk, which is produced exclusively on the 3000 small farms where only the best grazing is chosen for the cows: tender, green grass in summer, quality hay in winter. 22 of these farms can be visited and they are often places of charm, warm welcome and, of course, cows. You can also visit the cheese-dairies, most often located in the heart of the small villages. Here you will see the milk being stirred in great copper vats and, with the addition of a few drops of rennet, transformed into curds. Finally, if you just pull on an extra sweater, you will be ready to visit one of the 4 cheese-ripening cellars open to the public. The rows of carefully placed cheeses are enough to make one's mouth water, but wait: there's more !
Cheese AND dessert
In the House of Comté in Poligny, as well as learning everything there is to know about the cheese, our children will also have the opportunity to lend a hand in the making of it, or again, to discover a few rudiments of the métier of taster. Then, if your appetite is not yet satisfied, you can choose from among the 29 Museums of cheese in the AOP protected label zone. If you feel like a little exercise as well, you can take a donkey-ride in search of an out of the way farm known as the "Ferme du Coin Perdu" and after this brisk exercise to whet the appetite we don't need to tell you, there is always the possibility of stopping off at one of the "Etapes Gourmandes" to try out the specialties of lobster and Comté flavoured sweets with a touch of basil or mint-flavoured courgette and Comté cookies, or, why not, an honest to goodness cheese fondue.
* Protected Origin Appellation, European protection of the French AOC.
