| Tome des Bauges | |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Source: | Cow |
| Pasteurised: | no |
| Texture: | Hard rind; soft interior |
| Fat: | 45% |
| Certification: | AOC, later PDO |
French: Tome des Bauges in French pronounced as /tɔm de boʒ/ is a variety of Tomme cheese made in the Bauges mountains in the French Alps, in the Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.[1]
The spelling of the name, with a single "m", as opposed to the double in standard French, arises from the old Savoie spelling.[2]
Tome des Bauges is a cow's milk cheese with a soft beige pâte (interior) and a thick grey-brown rind.[1] It is made from whole unpasteurised milk, usually collected after each milking (morning and evening), skimmed in a "French: poche" (bag), heated to between 32° and 35°C, and then renneted.[2] It is ripened for up to three months. It typically has a fat content of 45 per cent.[1] According to French: Le guide des fromages (1999), the Tome des Bauges smells of wild hazelnut.[3]
The cheese typically comes in wheels approximately 17 centimetres (6½ inches) in diameter and 5 centimetres (2 inches) in height, weighing a little over 1 kilogram. It is at its best from late summer to winter.[1]