Hello my little cheese lovers! The time for good quality cheese content has arrived, today with our cute Tomme cheese guide! On top of that we’ll feature cheeses from all over the world, every now and then, because people deserve to know, more! Grab your cheese knife, a good glass of your favorite Pinot and let’s ride the cheese route (leave the mice at home, please)!
What is Tomme cheese?
Tomme cheese (read tom) is traditional French cheese coming from the alpine regions. Most known is the “Tomme de Savoie” cheese, made in the Savoy region (therefore called “Tomme de Savoie”). But long story short, many cheeses across the world refer to “Tomme” or “Tomme” style cheese, resembling the similar production of this type of cheese!
Huh, now that we roughly answered your question, let’s take it down a notch! Tomme is just basic simple and true cheese! It stands for the beauty (and complexity) of simplicity (Plato wouldn’t have said it better, maybe)! Tomme cheese was traditionally made from the leftover milk (skimmed milk) and represents a way of zero waste thinking (which we always like!). Tomme cheese can be made from cow’s, goat’s and ewe’s milk, but most known is Tomme made from cow milk.
How does Tomme look like?
Tomme cheese is always associated with a round cheese with specific, thick grey-ish mold! The mold(s) is specific for the alpine caves in which the cheeses ripen (the cheese ripening term is called “affinage”). But, as always, it’s the inside that matters! The inside of a Tomme is white, slightly yellow or beige, with a few, little, small holes (eyes in cheese terms). The rind of a Tomme is often called “earthy” because the grey/brown color literally looks like the cheese dropped into dirt (yummy!).
What is the aroma and flavor of Tomme like?
Now let’s jump to the thing that really interests all of us – the taste! The taste widely depends on the aging time of the cheeses. Tommes that age for a shorter period have fresh, sweet and grassy flavors with a compact texture! On the other side, long lived Tommes have a very nutty, mushroom and earthy flavor with almost creamy textures! Thank the cheese lords for that!
How is Tomme made?
Traditionally the cheese was made from skimmed fresh milk in small alpine farms! The milk is heated to a lower temperature where specific cultures take over and help the cheese evolve during aging. Afterwards the milk is coagulated and the fresh curds are pressed into wheel shaped molds (mostly by hand). The magic, as always, happens afterwards in dark and damp places, like alpine caves for example. The Tomme ages in these caves for at least one month (but can age for much longer) where he gets the specific moldy earthy rind and its distinctive flavor profile.
How to pair Tomme with wine?
The flavors of young Tomme are very fresh, like grassy and citrus flavors, therefore they pair really well with young and fresh wines like Pinot blanc and Pinot gris for example. On the other hand, aged Tomme tends to have robust flavors like hazelnut, brioche and mushrooms! The best pairing for aged Tomme cheese is aged/oaked Chardonnay (with flavors of brioche and exotic fruit) and Pinot noir (with decent mushroom and fruity flavors! You can’t go wrong with this wine pairing for sure! Yummy!
Where is it produced?
The homeland of Tomme is the Savoy region in France. The region is bordering Switzerland and Italy and is mainly known for producing the classic Tomme de Savoie cheese! On the other hand, there are many small regions all over the Alps which produce Tomme style cheeses and the sheer diversity of this cheese is the reason why it’s widespread across the globe. Maybe it’s time to find your nearest Tomme dealer?
That’s it for today my little cheese friend, but don’t be sorry, much more will come! As always you can share your cheese (facts) or keep it for yourself, you decide! We love you either way, just remember to say cheese (every now and then)!
