Chauve Snowman

The story goes that the tradition of putting ash on goats’ cheeses originated when cheesemakers sprinkled wood ash from their fires on the surface of the newly made cheeses to protect them from flies. It was another happy accident of the materials to hand being perfectly suited to a purpose. Charcoal is alkaline and it absorbs moisture. When it’s put on a fresh cheese, it dries the rind and lowers the acidity, making it attractive for the growth of delicate moulds and yeasts like Penicillium candidum and Geotrichum candidum. Both these fungi help ripen the cheese. The subtle fur of naturally occurring fungi on the black charcoal gives that distinctive, lovely, soft, grey rind we see on ashed goats’ cheeses. The pure white paste is smooth and mild with a fondant texture. The flavour is tart and salty with a rich hazelnut aroma. Locals eat the rind, which gives the cheese a much sharper, more pronounced flavour.