Salers

Salers is a farm-produced, uncooked cheese made exclusively from whole raw cow's milk in the Cantal département and 41 communes in neighbouring départements. Cylindrical in form and weighing between 35 and 50 kg, it is ripened for at least three months from the date of manufacture. The designation has been recognised in France since 1961.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-FR-0134 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012917), Salers is classified as a Class 1.3 cheese under the EU quality scheme. The specification requires that the cheese be made exclusively on the farm from whole raw cow's milk, used immediately after milking and renneted without delay. The delimited geographical area comprises the Cantal département together with 41 communes in the neighbouring départements. Each wheel is cylindrical and must weigh between 35 and 50 kg. Ripening must last at least three months from the date of manufacture. The inspection structure named in the specification is the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine), with address at 138, Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris, alongside the DGCCRF. Labelling requirements include the INAO logo and acronym, the phrase 'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée', and the name of the cheese. Each cheese must carry aluminium tags embossed with the letters 'SA' and the cheesemaker's individual identification number. The national designation of origin was recognised in 1961, and the product has been known since the High Middle Ages.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-FR-0134, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012917.
• Production is restricted exclusively to the farm; no dairy or creamery manufacture is permitted under the specification.
• Each wheel must weigh between 35 and 50 kg and be ripened for at least three months from the date of manufacture.
• Authenticity is marked by aluminium tags embossed with the letters 'SA' and the individual cheesemaker's identification number.

Tasting notes

Cantal cow's milk pressed uncooked cheese, AOP-restricted to lait cru from Salers-breed cows on summer pastures (May 1 to October 31 production only). Pale ivory to amber paste, firm crumbly texture, intensely tangy-savory flavor with assertive grass-pasture notes and pronounced terroir character — the wildest, most artisanal of Cantal-family cheeses.

HoReCa use

Salers features on premium Auvergne cheese boards, is used in aligot de tradition, and serves as a centrepiece of Cantal-Auvergne dégustation.

Packaging

• wheel-full-35-50kg
• wheel-quarter-vacuum-9-12kg
• wedge-vacuum-500g
• wedge-vacuum-250g

Seasonality