Saint-Nectaire
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| Country of origin | France |
| Region, town | Auvergne, Saint Nectaire |
| Source of milk | Cow |
| Pasteurised | Depends on variety |
| Texture | semi-soft washed rind |
| Aging time | 8 weeks |
| Certification | French AOC 1955 |
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Saint-Nectaire is a French cheese made in the Auvergne region of central France.
The cheese has been made in Auvergne since at least the 17th century.
Up until the 17th century, the Saint-Nectaire cheese was farmstead, and mostly made by women. It was also called “rye cheese”, as it was matured on rye. It is known for its creamy and unctuous paste and hazelnut flavour. It was introduced to the court of King Louis XIV by the marshal of France Henri de La Ferté-Senneterre (1600–1681), where the cheese immediately gained the king’s favour. By 1768, it was already widely recognized, as Legrand d’Aussy described the cheese in a story about his trip to Auvergne: "If someone wants to treat you to a feast, there is always going to be some Saint- Nectaire". The Marshal of Senneterre was also responsible for the introduction of the cheeses Cantal and Salers.
This cheese is a non-baked cheese with compressed paste, made from cow's milk, mainly of Holstein and Montbéliarde and sometimes Salers. It has a cylindrical shape, is about 20 to 24 cm (7.9 to 9.4 in) wide, and is about 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) thick. It never weights more than 1.850 kg (4.08 lb). The “petit-Saint-Nectaire” is 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) wide, 3.5 to 4.5 cm (1.4 to 1.8 in) thick, and the weight doesn’t exceed 0.650 kg (1.43 lb). The cheese has a rind that is similar on both sides, with few moulds. Depending on how old the cheese is, the rind can be white, brown or grey, and with orange, yellow, or red patches. If a cheese has a uniform colour, it can’t be sold as a Saint-Nectaire cheese. There is a minimum of 45 grams of fat per 100 grams of cheese once the cheese is desiccated. The whole refined cheese must have less than 50% of dry-matter content. Once cut, the Saint-Nectaire has a soft, fluid and smelly paste, of a creamy colour. Its taste has a hint of hazelnut, due to the aromatic flora where the cheese ages.
The cheese is made in a grassy and volcanic area, around the Pays des Monts-Dore. The region authorized to produce Saint-Nectaire includes a total of 72 villages, 52 of which are in Puy-de-Dome (including the village of Saint-Nectaire) and 20 of which are in Cantal.
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