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Rhône-Alpes
A creamy disc from the Dauphiné born, it is said, of a Lyon dairyman based on a "Place Saint-Félicien" — of which no trace has ever been found.
Bloomy-rind cheese from Rhône-Alpes.
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Before the war, Lyon dairymen sold fresh milk by the measure and skimmed off, throughout the day, the thin fatty film that formed on the surface of their churns. One of them reportedly had the idea of mixing this residue with the day's remaining milk and curdling it, giving rise, in the early 20th century, to a cheese he supposedly named after the square where he kept shop: Place Saint-Félicien. When asked about this story, the reference service of the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon nevertheless found "no trace of a 'Place Saint-Félicien' in Lyon", and wondered: could this anecdote be nothing more than a commercial invention? Another theory suggests, more simply, that the name comes from a much older cheese, already produced on the other side of the Rhône, in Ardèche: Caillé Doux de Saint-Félicien, made from goat's milk — a namesake with which the cow's milk cheese from Dauphiné continues to be confused.
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The legend of the dairyman remains uncertain, but the written record, however, is dated: the first mention of cow's milk Saint-Félicien dates back to 6 November 1956, with a trade mark registration at the tribunal de commerce de Lyon by Marius Boucher, an industrial cheesemaker from Villeurbanne — his cheese dairy, later taken over by Antoine Fuster, established the cheese's reputation on the Lyon market. A second registration, in February 1963, under the name "Le Saint-Félicien", was made by Ferdinand Brun, head of the main dairy in the Saint-Marcellin area (laiterie Brun-Dumoulin): this is the first written record of a dairy Saint-Félicien made in Isère, using milk collected in Isère but also as far afield as Lamastre, in Ardèche. The post-war decline of Lyon's cheese dairies subsequently made way for Isère manufacturers. It was the fromagerie de l'Étoile du Vercors in Saint-Just-de-Claix, Isère — already a maker of Saint-Marcellin —, that reportedly gave Saint-Félicien its present-day renown from 1980 onwards: Jean Berruyer, son of the firm's founder, is said to have drawn inspiration from the Lyon dairyman's recipe to popularise it. Larger, richer, and creamier than its cousin Saint-Marcellin, the recipe can today be made anywhere in France, but remains predominantly produced in Rhône and Isère.
Since 2017, milk and cheese producers in Isère have been working to draw up specifications to protect Saint-Félicien in turn under PGI, following the example of Saint-Marcellin, for which the Comité pour le Saint-Marcellin et le Saint-Félicien (C2MF) is the defence and management organisation. In April 2023, the committee submitted a revision of the joint specifications for both cheeses, aimed at correcting anomalies observed in Saint-Marcellin PGI, followed on 4 September 2023 by an application for PGI recognition for Saint-Félicien itself; twenty-four new Saint-Félicien producers, spread across Drôme, Rhône, Ardèche and Ain, joined the committee on this occasion. Official recognition is expected at the beginning of 2027. For producers, what is at stake is as much protecting against counterfeiting as adding greater value to the milk produced within this same area.
Appearance
Small, flat cylindrical disc, around 9 to 11 cm in diameter and 2.5 to 3.5 cm thick, weighing from 150 to 220 g; ivory natural rind, slightly wrinkled and supple, occasionally marked with a faint bluish down
Aroma
Lactic aromas, with a farmyard note that asserts itself as maturation progresses
Taste
Mild and unctuous at first, slightly salty and nutty; extended maturation, up to 28 days, gives it a more pronounced, lingering flavour
Texture
White, supple, lactic paste, chalky at the core beneath a creamy rind; can become runny towards the end of maturation, at which point it is served in a small dish
Saint-Félicien from Dauphiné must not be confused with Caillé Doux de Saint-Félicien, a small traditional goat's milk cheese from the Ardèche Haut-Vivarais, whose history is far older: its close relatives, the rogerets, were already mentioned in 1560 by the Lyon physician Bruyerin Champier. Made in stoneware pots (the "bichas") then dried on straw in "chasieras", this curd cheese of around one hundred grams, with 45% fat in dry matter, is distinctly different from the industrial cow's milk cheese that bears the same name today.
A dose of rennet is added to obtain the curd
The curd is ladled by hand into small moulds called "faisselles"
Draining removes the whey, then the cheese is dry-salted on both sides
At least 9 to 10 days in cellars, up to 28 days for an exceptional maturation
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Saint-Félicien is traditionally enjoyed with a teaspoon, especially when its paste, perfectly ripe, turns runny. An Isère producer recommends taking it out of the refrigerator about twenty minutes before the meal, served on a slice of rustic country bread, to reveal all its aromas — with an original touch of apple jam and sesame seeds. As for wine, it pairs readily with a Saint-Joseph, a red from the Rhône Valley right next to the cheese's own terroir.
Saint-Félicien is not (yet) recognised by an official quality mark. Since 2017, dairy producers have been working to draw up specifications to protect it under PGI (IGP): the Comité pour le Saint-Marcellin et le Saint-Félicien (C2MF) submitted an application for PGI recognition to INAO on 4 September 2023, having already submitted a revision of the joint specifications for both cheeses in April of the same year. Official recognition is expected in early 2027.
Artisan
Large artisan cheese house
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