Division 5.2 Specificity of the product

‘Banon’ has two original features that set it apart from other goat’s cheeses: it is a soft-curd cheese (produced by rennet-based rapid curdling) wrapped in chestnut leaves.

According to J.M. MARIOTTINI’s study ‘A la Recherche d’un fromage: le Banon éléments d’histoire et d’ethnologie’, rennet has always been used in the production of ‘Banon’ and it is one of the rare cheeses to be made using this technique.

Historical evidence shows that Provence is clearly a region where there is a tradition of using rennet to make cheese, in contrast to northern France which has a ‘lactic’ tradition (slow curdling lasting approximately 24 hours). As early as in the 15th century King René was offered ‘one of those small soft cheeses, from rennet’; the reference to rennet is clear.

The cheese-sieves traditionally used in Provence had large holes, indicating that the curd was rennet-based, as a lactic type of curd would leak out from such sieves).

In addition, the specific way of wrapping ‘Banon’ has a twofold objective: on the one hand, it helps preserve the cheese and, on the other, it is a method of production. It is a way of processing the fresh cheese which takes into account the need both to preserve the cheese and to improve it.

The product is processed principally by wrapping it in chestnut leaves. This process marks the transition from tomme to ‘Banon’. The leaves insulate the cheese from the air and serve as an adjuvant, so that the cheese can acquire its aromatic characteristics.

Although it would seem that the leaves of numerous species could be used for the cheese (the vine plant, the chestnut tree, the plane tree, the walnut tree, etc.), in fact chestnut leaves must be used because of their solid structure and the quality of their tannin.