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AOC — PDO — Languedoc-Roussillon
Pélardon
Pélardon: a Mediterranean gem scented with garrigue, a centuries-old Cévenol heritage.
Goat’s cheese from Languedoc-Roussillon, PDO (AOP) since 2001.
Discover
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AOC — PDO — Languedoc-Roussillon
Pélardon: a Mediterranean gem scented with garrigue, a centuries-old Cévenol heritage.
Goat’s cheese from Languedoc-Roussillon, PDO (AOP) since 2001.
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As early as the 1st century, Pliny the Elder noted that cheeses from the Languedoc enjoyed an enviable reputation at the finest tables of Rome — without, however, naming Pélardon itself, whose precise identification with these ancient cheeses remains a matter of debate. The earliest written record unequivocally referring to it dates from 1756: Abbé Boissier de Sauvages described, under the Occitan name of "Peraldou", a small, flat, round cheese made in the Cévennes. The cheese subsequently went by several similar names — Paraldon, Pélardou, Péraudou — before "Pélardon" became definitively established at the end of the 19th century. For generations, shepherds and farmers across the Cévennes, the causses of the Larzac, and neighbouring garrigues have crafted it using skills passed down from farm to farm — raw goat's milk, slow lactic coagulation, and ladle moulding without any mechanical pressing. As the only French PDO goat's cheese originating from Mediterranean garrigues rather than high mountain pastures, Pélardon embodies the authenticity of a terroir found nowhere else in France.
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Official recognition for Pélardon was built step by step. As early as 1988, the Languedoc goat sector organised around a collective mark, "Pélardon Languedoc-Roussillon". In 1993, the Association de Défense du Pélardon was founded to draw up detailed specifications; between 1997 and 1999, the INAO approved the production area and these specifications. The decree granting the appellation d'origine contrôlée was published in the Journal officiel on 25 August 2000; in December 2001, the AOC became European by obtaining PDO status. In 2004, the Association de Défense du Pélardon took the name of Syndicat des Producteurs de Pélardon, the appellation's defence and management body (ODG), which works alongside the INAO to preserve the terroir and traditional know-how.
Appearance
Small cylinder with rounded edges, over 60 g at 11 days, diameter 60–70 mm — thin rind covered in pale yellow, white, or blue moulds depending on maturation
Aroma
Herbaceous and mineral, notes of garrigue (thyme, wild rosemary), slightly lactic when young
Taste
Delicate and complex — light, fresh acidity early in maturation, persistent herbaceous tannic finish, notes of hazelnut and undergrowth when matured
Texture
Ivory-white paste, uniform and smooth when cut, supple when young, which can become brittle after prolonged maturation
renneting with rennet, predominantly lactic curd obtained over more than 18 hours
fresh curd manually ladle-moulded into perforated faisselles — all mechanical moulding is prohibited
spontaneous in the mould, minimum 24 hours, with at least one turning
in cellars (8–16°C, 85–95% humidity), minimum 11 days, turned at least every other day
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Pélardon is best enjoyed at 10–12°C, taken out of the refrigerator an hour before tasting to release all its aromatic complexity. When young — with a still-white rind and supple paste — it pairs wonderfully with a well-chilled Picpoul de Pinet or Vermentino, on a slice of toasted bread with a drizzle of white garrigue honey.
When matured, its personality asserts itself: the grey-blue rind develops earthy and undergrowth notes that call for a light Languedoc red (Coteaux du Languedoc, Saint-Chinian). On a cheeseboard, Pélardon strikes a balance among assertive cheeses, accompanied by a few dried apricots and roasted almonds.
Since: 2000
Area covered: 500 communes (including 39 parts of communes) in Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, and Tarn
Key requirements: Exclusively raw goat's milk, natural coagulation min. 12 hours, ladle moulding without pressing, matured for a minimum of 11 days in a damp natural cellar
Since: 2001
Area covered: 500 communes (including 39 parts of communes) in Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, and Tarn
Key requirements: As above — protection extended across the European Union
Trade association
Cooperative
Cheese maker and affineur
GAEC
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Request a listingCooperative
A cooperative based in Moissac-Vallée-Française, in Lozère, in the heart of the Cévennes, where it processes and matures Pélardon PDO (AOP) from raw goat's milk. It is listed in the register of authorised processors-affineurs maintained by the Syndicat des Producteurs de Pélardon. It markets its cheeses in its shop, online, and via delivery by refrigerated lorry throughout France.
| Address | La Pélucarie, 48110 Moissac-Vallée-Française, France |
| 04 66 45 72 35 | |
| agendafrom@gmail.com | |
| lafromageriedescevennes.com | |
|
Part of the production is certified organic, since 2011. |
