Poitou: land of goats
The Poitou region is the birthplace of numerous protected special cheese products: find out how they are produced!
Paniers de fromages de chèvre pour le marchéFondation du patrimoine
High quality and variety of Poitou goat cheeses
Chabichou du Poitou, Mothais-sur-Feuille, fresh chèvre, log, faisselle: the Poitou region is also famous for a local cheesecake, the tourteau fromagé.
The Mel'Élie farm
Philippe Massé (on the left) and Christophe Bourbon (on the right), established their farm, called Mel'Élie, in 1998 at 23 and 25 years old. Both are from farming families and wanted to preserve Poitou's dairy and cheese traditions. They bought an old farm and some Poitou goats. Now 20 years later, they own 29 hectares of land on which they can graze more than 70 goats in the summer, as well as sheep and local breeds of cows. Today, they sell their cheese at markets and have opened their farm to the public in order to share their expertise. Philippe Massé is also vice-president of the Association de défense et de développement de la chèvre poitevine (Poitier Goat's Cheese Protection and Development Association).
Chèvres de la ferme du Mel'élieFondation du patrimoine
According to legend, the Poitou goat arrived in the region with the Saracens, during their invasions in the 7th and 8th centuries.
They left after being defeated by Charles Martel at Poitiers in 732, leaving their herds to be adopted by locals.
However, recent archeological and scientific research shows that these animals have been bred in Poitou for much longer.
Chèvres PoitevinesFondation du patrimoine
The herds were decimated by a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic in the 1920s. Only 600 goats were left in the 1980s. In 2020, thanks to the commitment of local farmers, there were about 3,900 goats spread across 136 farms.
The Mel'Élie farm's goat herd migrates each summer to graze freely on organically cultivated land.
Chèvres de la ferme du Mel'élieFondation du patrimoine
Throughout the rest of the year, they are fed alfalfa, pea straw, barley, and corn—all organically raised products from the farm.
They give birth between January and March, and produce milk for almost 9 months.
Traite des chèvresFondation du patrimoine
During this period, the goats on the farm are milked twice per day and produce about 26 gallons (100 l) of milk each day.
Caillage du lait de chèvreFondation du patrimoine
After the milk is collected, it can be used raw or pasteurized, meaning that it is heated for a few seconds at between 162ºF and 185°F.
The first step in transforming milk into cheese is curdling.
Lactic acid bacteria and rennet are added to coagulate the milk. The amount of rennet varies based on the kind of cheese being produced: a small amount for lactic cheeses, and six times more rennet for pressed cheeses.
Egouttage du cailléFondation du patrimoine
The curdled milk is then drained. The solid curd is used as a base for the cheese, and the liquid, or whey, is not used.
Moulage et égouttage du cailléFondation du patrimoine
The solid curd is then traditionally molded with a ladle.
It is poured into different types of containers with holes, based on the desired shape of the cheese. These molds are called faisselles.
Salage du fromage fraisFondation du patrimoine
Whey drains through the container's holes for about 24 hours. This step, known as drying, is crucial for the cheese's taste. Whey has a pungent, acidic taste.
Salt, a natural barrier against microorganisms, is added as needed.
Moulage du Mothais sur feuilleFondation du patrimoine
After 24 hours, the cheese is taken out of the molds and has its final shape, but not its final texture or taste.
Affinage des fromage de chèvreFondation du patrimoine
Then the crucial step of maturing starts.
The cheese is placed on shelves in a room called the hâloir, which has a specific climate and temperature.
Fresh cheeses spend a few days there, while drier cheeses spend several weeks.
A multitude of cheeses :
To meet everyone's tastes and preferences, Poitou's goat cheeses come in a multitude of forms and varieties. The Mel'Élie farm's specialties include: faisselle, Cabris, log-shaped, Pavé, fresh flavored chèvre, Chabis, Mothais-sur-Feuille, and Chabichou.
Fromages de chèvre affiné, dont des ChabichousFondation du patrimoine
Chabichou du Poitou is the region's most well-known cheese: it has had an Appellation of Controlled Origin label since 1990.
Its truncated cone shape is regulated and special molds with the letters CdP must be used. It is matured for 10 days and must weigh about 5 ounces (150 g) at the end of this time.
According to tradition, its name comes from combining chebli (small goat in Arabic), and cabecou (goat in Occitan).
Le Mothais du feuilleFondation du patrimoine
Mothais-sur-Feuille is usually made in southern Poitou.
Until the 1960s, farmers in this region produced it using leaves from plane or chestnut trees to drain moisture from the cheese during the maturing process.
This stage lasts for a maximum of six weeks for Mothais-sur-Feuille. While it used to vary, the cheese's shape is now regulated; it is a disc with rounded edges, measuring 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12 cm) in diameter, and weighing between 6 to 8 ounces (180 and 250 g).
A goat's cheese cake
The tourteau fromagé is traditional in Poitou. Tourterie (meaning cake in the Poitevin dialect), is a semi-spherical pastry with a very distinctive black upper portion It first appeared in the 19th century in the area of Mellois, in the Deux-Sèvres: today, seven communities claim to have invented it. It is said to be the result of a goat cheese tart that was forgotten in an overly hot oven and so ended up as a kind of soufflé with a burned domed top. The cook, in a daze, offered it to her neighbors, who enjoyed it, and the tourteau was born. It was so emblematic of the region that during the World War II, Le Tourteau Fromagé (Cheese Cake) was the code name Radio London used to send messages to the Resistance in the Deux-Sèvres region.
Tourteau fromagéFondation du patrimoine
It is traditionally made from sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, fresh goat's cheese, and shortcrust pastry.
The secret of its success lies in its mold, which must be semi-spherical and made of terracotta.
It is made for special occasions like weddings and religious holidays, such as Easter.
Its soft texture and white interior contrast with its charred top.
Rencontre avec Philippe Massé - Le fromage de chèvre emblème du PoitouFondation du patrimoine
Video interview with Philippe Massé, goat cheese producer in Messé in the Deux-Sèvres.
Our thanks to Philippe Massé and Christophe Bourbon from Gaec le Mel'Elie , as well as to Johanna Graugnard from la Route des Fromages de Chèvre (The Goat Cheese Trail) for their invaluable help in creating this content.
