I spotted this one during a very quick look at the foreign cheese section at my local Shop-Rite. The label didn't mention where it was from. However, it was on sale. Half price, in fact, being about $4 for a piece about 6 ounces (about 170 grams) in size. Given my love of cheese, and its cheaper price, I grabbed and bought it, taking a chance that it was exotic enough to post about. And it was, since Chaumes is made in France.
As it turns out, Chaumes is far from an ancient cheese, as it was developed in 1971. By persons unknown, alas. But, its place of origin is well established, being the village of Saint-Antoine-de-Breuilh (sometimes rendered as just "St. Antoine") in the Perigord region, which is in the Southwest part of France. It was based on traditional Trappist-style cheeses. Reportedly, some Trappist monks in the area avoided eating meat, for religious reasons. So, to make up for this sacrifice, they tried to make heartier cheeses, that had stronger, meatier flavors. The attempted this by adding more rennet, and they also washed the rind with brine. Therefore, Chaumes also has these attributes. It's made from cow's milk, and is only aged for four weeks. The result is a soft cheese, with a full-bodied flavor, and a texture that's soft, creamy, and has a distinctive rubbery aspect to it. An even softer version is also made, that's a type of spreadable cream cheese. Chaumes is usually consumed as a table cheese, or grilled and added to sandwiches. It also has a particular popularity with children. As for the company that made the cheese I tried, it didn't say on the label. But most Chaumes is made by the Fromagerie des Chaumes, which is part of the Savencia Fromage and Dairy group. Finally, "Chaumes" is French for "stubble." The first thing I think of from this word is the slight amount of hair growth that people get from not shaving for a few days. But it also means "the cut stalks of grain plants left sticking out of the ground after harvesting." Furthermore, supposedly in the Bible stubble symbolizes worthlessness, transience, and impending judgement. Something, "easily consumed by fire, like the dry stalks left after harvest, representing wicked people or insubstantial works that would not endure God's scrutiny." Overall, then, if the creators of the cheese were going by the Biblical meaning, it's kind of a dramatic and probably overly harsh name for an innocent dairy product.
Chaumes cheese: The rind was orange, and the cheese itself was a light yellow color. It had a bit of an odor. The texture was soft. The taste was slightly salty, and tart. It was very good. It reminded me favorably of brie. I would strongly recommend this, especially to major brie fans.
I do have to report that this cheese caused me some digestive problems. I wasn't hospitalized or anything, or puking for hours, but let's just say my toilet got a workout. However, I'm not blaming the cheese itself. I blame myself mostly, and Shop-Rite a little. The fact that the Chaumes was on sale, for half price, was a major red flag. I compounded this by eating it a couple of days past the "sell by" date. This experience taught me a valuable lesson--namely, don't buy cheese that's being offered on a half price sale, and/or take the sell by date as gospel. Again though, I'm not blaming Chaumes, and my recommendation for it still stands. I'll eagerly buy it again if I see it--I'll just check the expiration date much more closely.
