Banon, goat's milk, Provence, France, Each

Banon is a cheese made from whole raw goat’s milk. It is matured while wrapped in brown chestnut leaves and tied with natural raffia. Under the leaves Banon is bronze in colour and has a soft, creamy texture. Banon comes from Haute-Provence, a dry med-mountain region with sparse and poor vegetation. The goats eat on the hills and produce rich, scented milk. There is written evidence of Banon being served on noble tables in the region as far back as the Middle Ages. More recently, the dictionary from 1840 includes a definition of Banon cheese. At that time peasants stored the cheese in chestnut leaves to preserve them for longer. They were then sold at Banon market, one of the biggest in the region and which has given the designation its name.