In Morzine, as in all of Haute-Savoie, we like to taste regional cheeses and it is true that they are particularly numerous. Tomme de Savoie, Reblochon, Beaufort, Etivaz, and finally Abondance, of which I am going to tell you the story. A story that is intimately linked to that of Abondance Abbeyin the heart of the mountains, between Lake Geneva and the Swiss border.
From the 11th century, the monks understood that their cheese could become the true wealth of the valley, and serve as currency. They cleared the forests, encouraged animal husbandry, and the creation of mountain pastures and pastures for the cows. Along the way, they manage to develop a particular breed, robust and rustic, which they also call “abundance”. The milk production of the summer, transformed into cheese by the peasants, used to pay taxes directly to the abbey.
Abundance has acquired its letters of nobility, again, thanks to religious! In 1381, a new pope, Clement VII, was elected in Avignon. Abundance is served at the conclave table. Very quickly, he is present on all the great tables of the Court of Savoy. Its fame is such that it is systematically used as bargaining chip!
In 1996, he obtained his protected designation of originso its specifications are codified and controlled as never before, in particular, certain traceability information: there are two categories d’Abondance, farm cheeses, whose milk comes from a single farm, and dairy cheeses, whose milk can come from several farms, therefore from a cooperative. A plaque is affixed to its heel to identify its producer: it is oval and green for farmhouse cheeses, square and red for those from a cooperative.
With the Beaufort, these are monuments of French heritage! A few little tips to differentiate them. Beaufort cheese is yellow, more or less clear, a color that comes from the grass grazed by Montbéliard or Tarine cows. It is produced east of the Alps while Abondance is made further north. It’s necessary 3 months minimum ripening for Abondance, and 5 for Beaufort.
Another difference is the heating temperature of the curd. Abundance is a semi-cooked pressed cheese since the cheese maker heats it to 48°C while Beaufort can be brought up to 56°C. Finally, the smell of Abundance is more milky.
It’s not easy to take a 10-kilogram wheel with you, especially on a racing bike, but it’s impossible for the riders not to crack at least a reasonable piece before setting off tomorrow morning!