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Rhône-Alpes
‘Since 1132, on the slopes of the Massif des Bauges, the Cistercian monks of Tamié have turned raw milk from neighbouring farms into a round wheel wrapped in azure blue paper — nine centuries of continuity that only the French Revolution could have interrupted.’
Uncooked pressed cheese from Rhône-Alpes.
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In the hollow of the Massif des Bauges, east of Chambéry, the Cistercian Abbaye Notre-Dame de Tamié has stood since 1132, the year the lords of Chevron ceded the vallon de Tamié to the archbishop of Tarentaise to establish a monastic community. The first monks arrived the following year, coming from the Abbaye de Bonnevaux in Dauphiné. Following the Rule of Saint Benedict, they quickly harnessed the resources of the Savoyard terroir to sustain the community.
The abbey's cheese-making tradition dates back to its foundation, but the recipe was not preserved over the centuries. The French Revolution brought activity almost entirely to a halt, and much of the agricultural know-how was lost. The cheese was revived in the mid-19th century, thanks to a recipe borrowed from the Abbaye du Port-du-Salut in Mayenne, put back into practice by a lay brother expelled by the Revolution from the Abbaye de Morimond. The cheese was then named ‘Port-Salut de la Belle Étoile’, pairing the name of the original monastic cheese with that of the peak overlooking the abbey.
Only gradually did the cheese take the simple name of Tamié, freeing itself from any reference and acquiring its own identity. Today it is wrapped in blue paper stamped with a white Maltese cross — a tradition whose origin remains uncertain, as the abbey archives mention no link with the Mediterranean island. Since 2017, the impression of this cross has also appeared embossed into the rind itself.
Appearance
An uncooked pressed cheese made from whole raw cow's milk, with a washed, thin and smooth rind. The rind is orangey, covered in a fine white down, developed through regular brine baths without colourings. The paste is beige, homogenous, glossy and smooth, with a very supple texture.
Aroma
The rind releases a yeasty, damp smell, characteristic of its maturation on spruce boards in the vaulted cellars beneath the cloister.
Taste
A mild flavour, with a taste of cream and pasture that asserts itself with maturation.
Texture
Soft and supple on the palate.
The monks no longer have their own herd: the community buys chilled raw milk from the six farms in the vallon de Tamié. Every day, the cheese dairy's lorry collects this milk to produce around 500 kg of cheese. No treatment is applied before cheese-making: neither pasteurisation nor skimming.
Production is carried out by the abbey's monks, assisted by a few lay employees at the cheese dairy. The raw milk is gently warmed then renneted; the curd is cut, stirred, then moulded and pressed to form the wheels. Regular brine baths, without colourings, then shape the rind during maturation. The cheeses rest on spruce boards in the cellars beneath the abbey cloister.
Each wheel is wrapped in blue paper stamped with a white Maltese cross before being marketed — an immediately recognisable visual signature.
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Tamié is enjoyed at room temperature. It pairs well with Savoie wines — Chignin-Bergeron, Crépy or Abymes — whose fruitiness balances its slight acidity. Its mild flavour, with a taste of cream and pasture, makes it welcome at any table; it also shines in cooking, in raclette- or tartiflette-style dishes, thanks to how easily it melts.
Fromage de Tamié does not hold any official designation (PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP) or Label Rouge): ‘Abbaye de Tamié’ is a registered commercial trademark, without an appellation, operated by the Fromagerie de Tamié. It also bears the Monastic collective mark, as well as the Savoie brand. It is made exclusively from unpasteurised raw milk, collected locally.
Cistercian monastic cheese dairy
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