Soumaintrain

Soumaintrain is a soft, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese of predominantly lactic character, produced in a defined geographical area in northern Burgundy. The specification requires exclusive use of whole cow's milk and mandates a minimum affinage of 21 days, after which the cheese must display under-rind proteolysis, an ivory-yellow to ochre rind, and a smooth, slightly granular ivory-white paste.

About this designation

Soumaintrain is registered as a PGI under file number PGI-FR-01298, with EU protection granted on 29 December 2014 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000015932). The specification defines it as a soft, washed-rind cheese of predominantly lactic character, made exclusively from whole cow's milk collected within the geographical area within a maximum of 48 hours from the oldest milking. No addition or removal of fat or protein is permitted, and concentration of the milk by partial elimination of water before coagulation is prohibited. After a minimum of 21 days of affinage, the paste must present a dry matter content of at least 40 % and a fat content of at least 48 % in the dry matter, and must obligatorily show under-rind proteolysis. The rind is ivory-yellow to ochre and slightly moist. The cheese takes the form of a flat cylinder with a diameter of 90 to 130 millimetres, a weight of 180 to 600 grams, and a height representing between 25 and 35 % of the diameter. The specification requires that at least 75 % of the dry matter of the forage ration of dairy cows comes from the geographical area, that grass represents at least 30 % of the dry matter of coarse fodder on an annual basis, that grazing areas amount to 12 ares per cow, and that dairy cows graze for a minimum of five months per year. The rind is washed at least four times during affinage. The specification describes an animal or vegetable odour and a lactic taste combined with a perception of noble bitterness.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 28, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 29 December 2014 under file number PGI-FR-01298 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000015932).
• The specification prohibits concentration of the milk by partial elimination of water before coagulation, and forbids any addition or removal of fat or protein.
• Dairy cows must graze for a minimum of five months per year, with at least 12 ares of grazed grassland per cow.
• After a minimum of 21 days of affinage, the paste must obligatorily present under-rind proteolysis, and fat content must be at least 48 % in the dry matter.

HoReCa use

The source records that restaurateurs include Soumaintrain on regional cheese boards and incorporate it into cooked cheese recipes, and that an annual event pairing Soumaintrain with foie gras has been held each October in the historical production area since 1984.