Cachaille

What is Cachaille Cheese?

Cachaille, also spelled cassaille, comes from southeast France and more specifically from Provence. The first references point to the village of Puimichel in the Provençal Alps, where each household had its own method. By the Revolution it was reported from the southern Alps as far as Marseille, and it was traded at fairs, among them the annual Saint-Jean-de-Guarguier fair near Gémenos in the Bouches-du-Rhône. People from Reillanne, known for thrift, carried the mocking nickname mangea-cacheïo, eaters of cachaille.

The base is leftover cheese: sheep tomme and goat brousse, sometimes with other cheese scraps added. Dry cheese is grated and moistened with brandy, white wine and oil, most often olive oil, then fresh cheese no more than three days old is mixed in. Vinegar, onion, garlic, salt and pepper sharpen the taste. Aging lasts two to three months, and after that the pot works continuously as long as an equal amount of cheese replaces whatever is taken out. Kept that way, a cachaille can reach 20 years.

It is sold in glass jars, which show off a smooth cream, cream in color and faintly yellowing or bluing. There are two versions. One is eaten in the days after it is made, before fermentation takes hold. The other relies on fermentation to work through the old cheese.

Cachaille is usually spread on slices of bread, which can be grilled, peppered, rubbed with onion or oiled. White or rosé wine goes with it, and so do steamed potatoes with a glass of red. In Provence it is served with fresh or dried figs to calm its strength.