Brebis Pardou. Ana Belen Garcia Sanchez / Getty Images via Canva Pro.
Brebis Pardou is a semi-firm pressed (but not cooked) sheep’s milk cheese made in Vallée d’Ossau, Béarn, Aquitaine in France.
Pardou is the name of the company that makes it.
The milk comes from the local breed of sheep called “béarnaise” and it is made from whole, raw milk.
To make Brebis Pardou, the temperature of the milk is raised to a range of 28 to 30 C (82 F to 86 F), and kept there for 30 to 60 minutes while it curdles. The curd is cut, then the temperature raised further to 38 to 40 C (100 F to 104 F), and let stand for 30 minutes.
The curd is then gathered, and put in cylinder-shaped moulds and pressed.
The cheeses are then salted, and aged on pine planks 9 to 12 months. The company has an old railway tunnel in a mountain where it ages the cheeses. A natural brown crust forms on the cheese.
The cheeses are made in sizes ranging from 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) wide and 8 to 14 cm (3 to 5 inches) high. Each cheese will weigh 3 to 7 kg (6 ½ to 15 ½ pounds), depending on the size.
Nutrition
Brebis Pardou has a 50% butter fat before aging and 55% afterwards.