Persillé de Tignes

In the Tignes valley and in the Haute-Tarentaise valley, the high pastures have long been used to graze livestock. Cows are found there, of course, but goats too. The latter cope well with the harsh climate, spending the warm season on alpine pastures where the rich, varied flora yields a complex milk.

Made mainly from goat’s milk with a touch of cow’s milk added, this is an extremely rare cheese, still produced by only a handful of farmers during the summer season. It is gradually being edged out in favour of cow’s milk cheeses alone.

Despite its name, it is not a blue cheese, though it can develop blue veining after a few months of ageing. A tall cylinder with a crumbly, granite-like rind, it wears a fawn-coloured coat streaked with ochre tones. Its paste, too, is crumbly, owing to its production method: a slow curdling process to which warm, same-day whey is added after draining. Young, the flavour is dominated by a light tanginess that fades with time, giving way to more pronounced goaty notes.