MONTBRISON
Sub-prefecture of Loire (42).
Population: 16,130
Celebrities: Pierre Boulez (composer), Muriel Robin (actress), Mickey 3D (band), Guillaume Cizeron (Olympic and world ice dancing champion), Benoît Faure (cyclist), William Howard (international basketball player).
Specialities: Fourme de Montbrison (cheese), grated potato, Sarasson, Côtes du Forez wines.
Sport: Basket Club Montbrison (Men’s National League 2, Women’s League 2). AS Montbrison-Savigneux (football). Events: Montbrisonnais National Rally.
Economy: The town’s economic activity is characterised by the presence of a major player in industrial paint production, Becker Industrie. The toy manufacturer Gégé was a renowned international player. The town is also known as the production site for Fourme de Montbrison.
Culture and festivals: Festival des Poly’Sons (song, January and February), Jazz à Montbrison (late March). Foreztival. Fourme festival. Montbrison History Festival.
Heritage and tourism: Salle de la Diana, Calvaire Hill, Notre-Dame d’Espérance Collegiate Church, Allard Museum, High Court. Former Cordeliers Convent (media library). Théâtre des Pénitents. Quais du Vizézy. Ancient Roman baths at Moingt. Monts du Forez, resorts at Chalmazel and Prabouré.
Labels: Flower Town (***), Terre de Jeux 2024.
Websites: ville-montbrison.fr / rendezvousenforez.com
FOOD
Fourme de Montbrison
A blue-veined cheese, Fourme de Montbrison is recognisable for its mild flavour. Made from milk from the pastures of the Haut-Forez and matured for a long time in the mountains, Fourme de Montbrison reflects the scent of gentian, the landscape, the influence of the seasons, and the patience and expertise of its makers. When it leaves the cellars, Fourme de Montbrison has a beautiful orange rind. Dry and finely textured, it encloses a yellow, supple and fragrant paste, subtly veined with blue. To make Fourme de Montbrison, cow’s milk is collected from 33 villages in the Haut-Forez region at an altitude of over 700 metres. The milk is then placed in vats at the dairy, heated to 32°C, renneted and inoculated with cultures (a strain of Penicillium roqueforti that forms the blue veins). After being removed from their moulds, the Fourmes are placed in pinewood troughs for around a week. It is this stage that gives the rind its beautiful orange colour. The cheeses are then pricked to allow the air needed for the blue mould to develop. They are subsequently matured for a minimum of 28 days in cellars at an altitude of 1,000 metres. Fourme de Montbrison has held AOC status since 2002.
fourme-de-montbrison.fr