Tome des Bauges

Tome des Bauges pronounced [tɔm de boʒ] is a variety of Tomme cheese made in the Bauges mountains in the French Alps, in the Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.^[1]

Tome des Bauges
Country of origin	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Source of milk	Cow
Pasteurised	no
Texture	Hard rind; soft interior
Fat content	45%
Certification	AOC, later PDO
Named after	Bauges Mountains
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Description

The spelling of the name, with a single "m", as opposed to the double in standard French, arises from the old Savoie spelling.^[2]

Tome des Bauges is a cow's milk cheese with a soft beige pâte (interior) and a thick grey-brown rind.^[1] It is made from whole unpasteurised milk, usually collected after each milking (morning and evening), skimmed in a "poche" (bag), heated to between 32° and 35°C, and then renneted.^[2] It is ripened for up to three months. It typically has a fat content of 45 per cent.^[1] According to Le guide des fromages (1999), the Tome des Bauges smells of wild hazelnut.^[3]

The cheese typically comes in wheels approximately 17 centimetres (6½ inches) in diameter and 5 centimetres (2 inches) in height, weighing a little over 1 kilogram. It is at its best from late summer to winter.^[1]

References

1. Nottage, p. 233
2. Payen and Barberousse, p. 37
3. Payen and Barberousse, p. 28

Sources

• Nottage, Claire, ed. (2006). French Cheeses. London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1-40-531211-0.
• Payen, Catherine; Michel Barberousse (1999). Le guide des fromages: connaître, acheter, déguster (in French). Toulouse: Édition Milan. ISBN 978-2-84-113806-7.