Valençay

Valençay

What it is

The story goes that Napoleon, back from Egypt and in no mood for pyramids, struck the point off one with his sword at Talleyrand's château — an anecdote that appears in print long after both men were dead. The flat top has a duller explanation: a full point dries faster than the base, snaps in transit, and gives the cheese no stable face to stand on.

In the kitchen

Ash and rind ripen the cheese from the outside in, so at four weeks a Valençay has a chalky core inside a running collar. Cut it in vertical slices from apex to base to get both textures in one mouthful — horizontal discs give you one or the other.

Goes with

Walnut Honey Fig Radish Chives Rye berries Apple Grape

Same species

Kid goat

In season alongside

Chabichou du Poitou Red cabbage Selles-sur-Cher Pauillac lamb Amethyst deceiver Bamboo shoot

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us