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Dairy production in the Charente-Maritime boomed at the end of the 19th Century, when the phylloxera epidemic destroyed a large number of wines and forced many farmers to return to dairy. The département counted up to 180 dairies, most of which have today disappeared through industrial regrouping.
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 Surgères butter
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As one of the Charentes-Poitou butters, and attributed the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) label in 1979, Surgères butter rightly enjoys a renown that extends past the borders of the Charente-Maritime. A success that is due to its finesse and flavour, as well as its salty taste resulting from the proximity of the sea.
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Cheeses and desserts |
Another dairy product, Charente-Maritime cheese is mainly the result of artisanal production. Among the specialities are: jonchée a delicious soft cheese made in the environs of Rochefort, a cows’ milk curd flavoured with laurel water, rolled in marsh rushes. In the north of the département are the famous Tricornes de Marans, triangular-shaped sheep milk soft cheeses, eaten with a pinch of green garlic.
Finally, an unmissable ‘derived product’: cheese tourteau, a soufflé-shaped cake with cow or sheep cheese, deliberately burnt on top but soft and moist inside.
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