The petit-suisse

Old label

Description

Type	Fresh unripened cheese
Milk	Cow
Aspect	Cylinder (3 cm diametre, 4 cm thick). 30 gr / 40 % of fat
Region	Neufchâtel - Now everywhere

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History

Genrally because of its name, one thinks that the petit-suisse was created in switzerland . In fact, it was born in Normandy, but its father came from switzerland. In the 1850 's, a swiss employee in a dairy of Auvilliers (near Beauvais) suggested to Mrs Hérould, the owner of the dairy, to add cream to the pastry used to produce bondons.

Charles Gervais, whose society was well-known for its double cremes, saw immediatly the interest of that product and made the petit suisse one of the most important product of its society. It also created a really efficient distribution system, especially to deliver quickly its products to Paris, first by using horse drawn vehicle and later by trucks. The "petit-suisse" also benefits of the know-how of the Pommel society, the Gervais society rival and neighbour at the beginning of the XXth century.

At start the "petits suisses" were sold wrapped in a thin band of paper and placed six by six in a small wood crate.

Making

Add cream in the curd.
Smoothing and drain off done by a separator

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Variations

There a giant version of the "petit-suisse", called the "suisse double" or "double suisse" (double swiss)