Livarot: the homeland of "the colonel"
The former seat of a barony, situated in the heart of the green valley of Auge, Livarot is a small town of 2,700 inhabitants. A picturesque and active town, it enjoys a rich heritage of several timber beam houses, traditional architecture of the Pays d'Auge. For the last three hundred years, Livarot has been particularly known for its AOC (Guarantee of Quality Label) soft cheese. In the form of a cylinder, it is also known as "the colonel" due to the 5 stripes around it. By visiting the village cheesemongers, you may learn the different cheese making steps, following traditional methods and discover the history of Norman cheeses in the cheese museum rooms.
Did you know?
Mentioned for the first time in 1690, during the 19th century, Livarot was the most popular cheese in France. This fine soft cheese requires no less than 5 litres of cow's milk to manufacture one piece. It acquired its A.O.C. (Guarantee of Origin Label) in 1975 and gives rise, each year during the first weekend of August, to a large country fair.
