Cantal, also known as Forme de Cantal has a milky aroma and a pleasantly nutty flavor with an attractive lingering acidity to it. A poet once wrote of Cantal that "to elaborate on Cantal is an error of taste; it is all simplicity."
Cantal is one of France's oldest cheeses. The excellence of Cantal was noted by Pliny almost two thousand years ago. It used to be made in the mountain farms of Cantal but today most of it comes from factories in the lowland areas of the region. However, its very close cousin Salers, named for the local cattle, has remained largely a farmhouse cheese.
Cantal and Salers are both big drum-shaped cheeses. They have a thin grayish-beige rind which is dry and powdery and darkens with age. The rind has a tendency to crack, allowing mold to develop in the cheese, you can eat the rins is you want to. The fresh paste is pale yellow in color, close textured, and smooth.