Pikauba (cheese)
Pikauba | |
---|---|
Country of origin | Canada |
Region | Quebec |
Town | Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Saguenay (city) |
Source of milk | Cows milk |
Texture | Semi-firm |
Weight | 2.5 kg or 5 kg |
Aging time | between 90 and 120 days |
The Pikauba is a semi-firm cheese, farmer made by hand, in the region Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec.[1] It takes its name from a river, Pikauba River, that crosses the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.
It is recognized by its fine orange rind and its soft, golden paste, strewn with small holes. Medium in intensity, Pikauba has a buttery taste with fruity aromas. It comes in 2.5 kg or 5 kg format.
The production territory
[edit]Pikauba is made at Lehman cheese dairy located in Hébertville in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec). The quality of the fodder plants, the freshness of the cool climate as well as the terroir of the region offer favorable conditions for cheese making.
The story
[edit]The Lehmann Cheese Factory has been in existence since 2001. It is from the recipe, scribbled on a piece of paper by his mother from Jura, Switzerland, that Jacob Lehman makes the first cheeses.
The cheese family says that a quote from Félix Leclerc provided them with the inspiration to produce cheese:“Our lives are like rivers; the calm is deep, the restless flow on the surface.” The Pikauba was produced for the first time in 2005.[2]
A novel by Gérard Bouchard is also entitled Pikaubaa,
Manufacturing
[edit]This semi-soft, washed rind cheese is made with thermised cow's milk. Maturing lasts between 90 and 120 days.
Production is based on a herd of 60 Brown Swiss cows, which is said to be the oldest dairy breed. This mountain cow is appreciated for its ability to give rich milk and a very good cheese yield.
Distinction
[edit]- Finalist at the 2014 Canadian Fine Cheese Competition, category of the best semi-soft cheese.
See also
[edit]Notes and references
[edit]- ^ Michèle Foreman (2012). Fromages. Quebec artisans. The cream of the crop (in French). Quebec: Éditions du Sommet. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-2-89696-019-4.
- ^ "Pikauba". www.fromagesdici.com (in French). Retrieved 2017-12-10.
External links
[edit]- Pikauba in the Directory of local cheeses.
- Pikauba file by the Fromagerie Hamel.
- On the site of Plaisirs Gourmets