Gaperon
Gaperon is a French cow's milk cheese from the Auvergne, shaped into a dome and flavored with cracked peppercorns and pink garlic. It tastes tart when young and turns soft, buttery, and strongly garlicky as it matures.
Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Auvergne region |
| Milk Type | Cow’s milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw or pasteurized |
| Rind | Fluffy coat |
| Texture | Soft |
| Flavor | Sharp |
| Colors | Ivory to pale yellow paste |
| Forms | Fat, round base ending in a point |
| Age | Several weeks |
What is Gaperon Cheese?
Gaperon comes from the Auvergne region of France and has been made there for over 1200 years. Its home ground is the plateau of Limagne, the stretch of country between Clermont-Ferrand and Vichy in the Puy de Dôme.
The cheese started as a use for babeurre, the liquid left after churning butter. That buttermilk was mixed with fresh milk to make the curds, then worked with local pink garlic and pepper. Farmers once hung the cheeses in the kitchen or storeroom and let them ripen in open air.
A gaperon is domed and wears a fluffy coat. The paste runs from ivory to pale yellow depending on the season. Young cheese tastes tart. Given time it softens, turns buttery, and the garlic and pepper grow intense.
It is sold all year. Because the pepper and garlic carry the flavor, no season counts as the best one for eating it.
How Does Gaperon Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Gaperon against.
