Breeds of Salers
A stone town in the volcanic Cantal that gives its name to mahogany-red cattle and to a cheese made only on summer pasture.
Breeds of this place
Best time: June to September, when cheese is made on the pastures.
Salers is a small town of dark volcanic stone on a plateau in the Cantal mountains. Its cattle are deep mahogany-red, with long lyre-shaped horns. A Salers cow traditionally lets down her milk only when her calf is at her side, so herders milked with the calf tied by her leg. A statue in the town square honours Ernest Tyssandier d'Escous, who improved the breed in the nineteenth century.
The Salers breed
Salers cattle are hardy mountain animals, able to graze steep pasture, and known for easy calving. They were once milked, worked and raised for beef. Today most are beef cattle, and many are exported to the Americas and elsewhere. A small number are still milked for cheese.
Salers cheese
Salers cheese, protected by a designation of origin, is made on the farm only while the cows are on summer pasture, from spring to autumn. The milk is curdled in a wooden vat called a gerle. Cheese made from the milk of Salers cows alone carries an extra mark. The surrounding Cantal mountains are an old volcano, worn down into grassy ridges and valleys.
A trail idea for Salers
- Grande Place The town square with the statue of Tyssandier d'Escous.
- Puy Mary A peak of the Cantal volcano, reached by mountain roads.
- Summer farms Herds of red cattle on the high pastures around the town.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Salers" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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