Saint-Nectaire 
Saint-Nectaire is a pressed cow's milk cheese from the volcanic hills around the Monts-Dore in Auvergne, France. It ages on rye straw for at least 28 days and is known for its soft, creamy paste and hint of hazelnut.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | France |
| Specific Origin | Massif du Sancy, Auvergne |
| Protection | PDO (1996) |
| Milk Type | Cow’s milk (Holstein, Montbéliarde, sometimes Salers) |
| Milk Treatment | Raw for fermier, pasteurized for laitier |
| Fat Content | Standardized for laitier |
| Rind | Washed-rind |
| Texture | Soft and tender |
| Flavor | Delicate hazelnut |
| Aroma | Grassy |
| Colors | Ivory |
| Forms | Round and generous shape |
| Age | At least twenty-eight days |
| Alternative Spellings | St. Nectaire, St-Nectaire, St Nectaire |
| Also Known As | rye cheese, Sench-Nectari (Occitan) |
What is Saint-Nectaire Cheese?
Saint-Nectaire comes from the Auvergne region of central France, where it has been made since at least the 17th century. Before then it was a farm cheese, made mostly by women, and it went by the name rye cheese because it matured on rye. The marshal of France Henri de La Ferte-Senneterre carried it to the court of Louis XIV, where it won the king's favour at once. By 1768 Legrand d'Aussy could write that any feast in Auvergne would include some Saint-Nectaire.
The cheese is made in a grassy, volcanic area around the Pays des Monts-Dore. Seventy-two villages are authorized to produce it, 52 in Puy-de-Dome and 20 in Cantal. It was awarded AOC status in 1955 and a Protected Designation of Origin in 1996, which extended the name protection across the European Union.
Farmstead wheels use whole unpasteurised milk, worked twice a day right after each milking, while dairy wheels may use mixed, thermised or pasteurised milk. One cheese takes 13 to 14 L (3.4 to 3.7 US gal). Rennet sets the milk for 30 to 40 minutes, the curd is cut with a metal lyre into grains the size of wheat, then pressed into moulds, wrapped in linen, stamped with a casein label, salted with brine and pressed again for 12 to 24 hours.
Affinage lasts a minimum of 28 days, usually five or six weeks for a farmstead cheese and sometimes two or three months. During that time the cheeses rest on rye straw, get washed several times with salted water and are turned over regularly, which builds the orange-grey rind. If the flavour and scent are not developing well, the affinage is cut short.
A wheel runs 20 to 24 cm (7.9 to 9.4 in) wide and 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) thick, and never weighs more than 1.850 kg (4.08 lb). The petit-Saint-Nectaire is 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) wide and stays under 0.650 kg (1.43 lb). The rind can be white, brown or grey with orange, yellow or red patches. Cut open, the paste is soft, fluid, strong smelling and creamy in colour, with a hint of hazelnut that the article credits to the aromatic flora where it ages.
It goes with any kind of meal and turns up in tarts, pies and buns. A small oval label in green casein marks a farmstead cheese and a square label marks an industrial one, which is the fastest way to tell the two apart.
How Does Saint-Nectaire Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Saint-Nectaire against.
