Tomme des Pyrénées

The Alpine Cheese of the Pyrenees | Food Tour de FranceTomme des Pyrénées — the ancient Alpine cheese of the French Pyrenees — is one of the most distinctive and most underrated cheeses in France, and today's Food Tour de France episode tells its full story. As the Tour de France finishes at Les Angles in the Pyrénées-Orientales, we explore the cheese that has been made in these mountains since the twelfth century, when the monks of the Abbey of Lucelle first introduced fish farming to the region — and when the farmers of the Pyrenean valleys were already producing the semi-hard pressed cheese that carries the name of these mountains today. This is Pyrenean cheese history, Pyrenean food culture and everything you need to know about one of the great cheeses of the French mountain tradition.The Tomme des Pyrénées is a semi-hard, pressed, uncooked cheese made from cow's, goat's or sheep's milk — or a mixture of those milks — produced across the entire Pyrenean chain from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques to the Pyrénées-Orientales. It comes in a cylindrical shape with rounded edges, a supple texture, and a flavour that moves from mild and creamy when young through to complex and aromatic with age. And it comes in two visually striking versions — a natural orange-tinged rind, or a dramatic black or gold wax coating that makes it one of the most visually distinctive cheeses in France. It received its Protected Geographical Indication in 1996 — but the story of this cheese goes back eight hundred years before that, to the high summer pastures above the Tour de France route.The episode covers the full history of Tomme des Pyrénées — from King Louis VI tasting Pyrenean cheese in the twelfth century to the cooperative fruitières established by Auguste Calvet in the 1870s, from the first gold medals at agricultural competitions in Paris and Toulouse to the PGI battles of the 1990s and 2000s that finally brought raw milk, goat milk and mixed milk producers under the protection of the designation in 2020. A story of mountain cheese culture that is inseparable from the landscape, the climate and the extraordinary variety of the Pyrenean valleys — where each valley has its own method, its own tradition and its own expression of the same fundamental cheese.The Food Tour de France is a daily series running alongside the Tour de France 2026 on Fabulously Delicious — one episode for every stage start and finish, covering the food, the drink, the ingredients and the producers of the places the race passes through. This is French food culture told through the greatest race in the world. Search Fabulously Delicious on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for the full series — and follow along stage by stage.As Fabulously Delicious steps into its sixth year, one thing is clearer than ever: five years of French food culture has taught Andrew that the subject is genuinely inexhaustible. My book Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide to the World’s Most Delicious City is your ultimate companion. This is a new 2026 update for the book and you’ll find hand-picked recommendations for the best boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, cafés, and restaurants that truly capture the flavor of Paris. You can order it online at ⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠ For those who want to take things further, why not come cook with me here in Montmorillon, in the heart of France’s Vienne region? Combine hands-on French cooking classes with exploring charming markets, tasting regional specialties, and soaking up the slow, beautiful pace of French countryside life. Find all the details at ⁠⁠⁠andrewpriorfabulously.com⁠⁠⁠You can help keep the show thriving by becoming a paid subscriber on substack where you'll also get fabulous extra content. Every contribution makes a huge difference. Join here at ⁠⁠⁠Substack ⁠⁠⁠Merci beaucoup!⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Website ⁠⁠⁠#FrenchFoodPodcast #FabulouslyDelicious #foodpodcast