Abbaye de Belloc is a semi-hard cheese made from raw sheep’s milk in the Basque region of the French Pyrenees. Aged between four and ten months, it has a nutty and caramelized taste and is protected by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system. It pairs well with bread, olive and fruit flavors, and well-rounded red wines.
Abbaye de Belloc (pronounced ah-BAY duh Bell-OCK) is a semi-hard farmhouse cheese made from raw sheep’s milk. Produced in the Basque region of the French Pyrenees, the cheese was created by Benedictine monks at the Notre-Dame de Belloc abbey. Milk from local farms was brought to the abbey where it was made into cheese by the monks. Today, the cheese is produced by dairies in the vicinity of the abbey, always according to the monks’ recipe and process.
Abbaye de Belloc is found in flat wheels weighing 9 to 11 pounds (4 to 5 kg). The thick, crunchy natural rind is grayish brown, speckled with red, yellow or orange. The rind, covered in small craters, is cut off and discarded before eating the cheese.
Aged between four and ten months, Abbaye de Belloc dries out as it matures. The older the cheese, the more its flavor will be developed and decisive. Even so, this cheese has a relatively delicate character. It is distinguished by a nutty and caramelized taste. At 60 percent fat, the texture is thick, rich, smooth, and buttery.
Abbaye de Belloc is a designated AOC cheese, which means it is protected by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system. Strict rules govern every element that goes into making the cheese. From the breed of sheep whose milk is used for the pasture where those sheep are permitted to graze, the shepherds who supply milk for this cheese must be compliant. To this end, this cheese is made from the milk of the Manech sheep, a local breed with a black (Manech Tête Noire) or red (Manech Tête Rousse) face.
Other factors that are carefully regulated under AOC guidelines include the season in which the cheese is made; the conditions under which the cheese is produced and stored; and the physical characteristics, including size and shape, of the cheese.
AOC regulations are in place to ensure consistency between very specific types of cheeses, some of which have been made the same way for generations. An AOC designation ensures that consumers can have confidence that the product they are buying will meet their expectations based on their experience with past examples of that product.
Abbaye de Belloc is delicious on its own as a table cheese, served with bread. It is complemented by olive and fruit flavours, particularly those featuring traditionally autumnal flavors such as apples, figs and squash. This cheese can also be grated and melted over grilled foods or mixed into sauces. Good wines to pair with this cheese are Bordeaux, Zinfandel and Syrah. Well-rounded reds in general pair well with this cheese.
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