Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage 
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage is a mild blue cheese from the Vercors Massif in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, made from pasteurized cow's milk. Monks made it in the 14th century, and it has carried Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée protection since 1998.
Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / CC BY-SA 4.0
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Vercors Massif in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region |
| Protection | PDO (1998), PDO (2000) |
| Milk Type | Cow (Montbeliarde, Abondance, and Villard breeds) |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | Around 28% |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Creamy with blue veins |
| Flavor | Taste of hazelnut, undergrowth, and mushroom |
| Forms | Flat cylindrical blue-veined cheese, 11–12 inches in diameter and 2½–3 inches tall, weighing between 9–10 pounds |
| Age | At least 21 days after renneting |
What is Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage Cheese?
Monks in the Rhône-Alpes region of France were making this blue cheese in the 14th century. The name points to the Vercors Massif and the town of Sassenage, but the town itself falls outside the production zone. That zone takes in 13 towns in the Drôme département and 14 in Isère.
The milk must come from Montbéliard, Abondance or Villard cows, and it is pasteurized. The curd is neither pressed nor cooked. Penicillium roqueforti does the veining work, and fat content sits at around 28 percent.
Wheels run 27 to 30 cm across and 7 to 9 cm tall, at 4 to 4.5 kg each. The paste is semi-soft, sweet and creamy under a natural rind, and mild by the standards of blue cheese.
Larousse's Grand Dictionnaire Universel, published in the 19th century, describes King Francis I as fond of it. The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée came in 1998.
How Does Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage against.
