The prize for best French cheese has just been awarded.
The big winner is Ossau-Iraty, already a multi-award winner at world level.
In the Basque Country, its region of origin, the inhabitants are very proud of it.
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The competition was tough last November 15 in Viseu, Portugal, during the World Cheese Awards 2024. A very serious competition during which hundreds of specialties competed for the title of best cheese in France. At the end of the deliberation of 240 international experts, it was ultimately no surprise that Ossau-Iraty won. Already voted the best cheese in the world twice, with a first title in 2006, it owes its victory to the thirty breeders who make it, as shown in the TF1 news video at the top of this article.
A reward for “several years” of work
In Hélette (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Peio Etxeleku, director of the Agour cheese factory, is particularly proud of his Ossau-Iraty with sheep's milk: “We feel the texture in the mouth, it has to fill the palate well. We like cheeses that have a little fat and have a nutty aftertaste. For a competition cheese, you have to have it is perfect.”
Obtaining the best possible quality is a long process, which ends with a long maturation of more than four months. So, receive this reward “is a nice surprise, the reward of the year, even for several years”. “Developing a raw milk cheese in a dairy like us, which collects several different milks, is very, very long-term work”concludes the professional.
A new medal next year?
A true specialty of the Basque Country, Ossau-Iraty, which benefits from a protected designation of origin (AOP), is sold in all cheese shops in the region. In Bayonne stores, it has even become a must-have. “There is always Ossau-Iraty in the fridge. There are plenty of others nearby but Ossau-Iraty is the terroir”says a customer at the microphone of TF1. That it wins the prize for best cheese in France is therefore obvious for this mother: “It doesn't surprise me. It's us, it's the Basque Country and frankly, it's a cheese that you can't find anywhere else.” “This is proof that peasants and farmers produce good products in the Basque Country”confirms a man.
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Roger Etchevers is just one of them. A sheep breeder for 40 years, he says he “iron” of its cheese: “This award makes me happy, it means that the work is accomplished.” But the Basques do not intend to stop there. They are already thinking about presenting their products again in next year's competition. With one goal: to dethrone Ovelha Amanteigado, a Portuguese cheese with thistle flower, crowned best in the world last month.
