Cantal
Also known as as Forme de Cantal, this is one France's oldest cheeses. the excellence of Cantal was noted by Pliny almost two thousand years ago. This drum-shaped cheese which can weigh as much as 45kg a drum, is still made in the mountain farms of Cantal from the milk of a local breed of cattle, Salers. The cheese has a thin greyish-beige rind which is dry and powdery, and darkens with age. The rind has a tendency to crack, allowing mould to develop in the cheese, some people like to eat it, while others do not. The cheese has a milky aroma and a lovely nutty flavour with an attractive lingering bite to it. The fresh paste is pale yellow in colour, close textured and smooth.