Crédit Photo: J-P Dieterlen

   435 T with raw milk
   2808 T with thermized and pasteurised milk
   1674 milk producers
   114 farmers
   9 dairy processors

The Ossau-Iraty is a cheese which finds its origins in a region stretched from the Pays Basque to the Béarn. It is made with sheep’s full-cream milk and its pate is pressed but uncooked. It exists in two different sizes which are both cylindric : small (2 to 3 kg) and large (4 to 7 kg). The rind is orange to grey and the cheese contains 25% of fat for its total weight.

Criteria

   Made only with sheep’s milk.
   Raw, thermized or pasteurised milk. 84% pasteurised actually.
   Area of production : Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées.
   The milk is from Manech Tête Noire or Manech Tête Rousse breeds of goat.
   Production forbidden in september and october.

History

In Béarn and Pays Basque, that kind of cheese is a traditional production. An antique writter called Martial mentioned the presence of sheep’s cheese in markets near Toulouse. In Middle Ages, the production began in the western part of the Pyrénées and a lot of historical sources from XIVth and XVth centuries said that is an important component of local diet.

Today, a large part of the Ossau-Iraty is made by industrial firms and the traditional production is endangered.

Production

The milk is heated between 28 and 35°C to be curdled. After 45 to 90 minutes, the curdled is brewed until it becomes milky. Then it is drained and finely cut. Sometimes it is heated one more time at 40°C. In any case, the cheese is moulded in special pierced moulds and pressed. It stays here during 3 to 24 hours, before being salted and sent to the cellar.

There it is put in a cold (less than 12°C) and humid room, where it is turned and brushed several times a day. The maturation is 90 days at least and 60 for the reduced cheeses.

Choice and taste

Eyes: thick orange to grey rind. White, smooth and compact pate without holes.

Nose: very light odour.

Palate: authentic rural flavour.

We advise you to taste the Ossau-Iraty with a Madiran or an Irouléguy.