Fact sheet
Originally the word "faisselle" (Latin fiscella meaning "basket") referred to a container made of osier and pierced with holes to drain the cheese. Over time, it came to mean the actual cheese. In the last century, farmers from the Berry region used the curds and the whey from the day before to culture the day's milk in order to obtain a creamier product. As a soft cow's milk cheese (sometimes made with goat or ewe's milk), the faisselle is characterized by a very high humidity ratio (up to 85%) and no rind.
It has a slightly grainy consistency, and it is served as a starter, a garnish or as a dessert. It is also used as an ingredient in many recipes. Its neutral taste means it can be served plain, salted (with herbs) or even sweet (with honey or fresh fruit).
It is a natural source of proteins, minerals (120 mg calcium/100g), trace elements and Vitamin B12 (nearly 40% of daily needs/100g); it contains about 6 g lipids/100 g so it is ideal for any slimming diet.
Production and consumption
Weighing on average 500 g to 1 kg, its production includes the curdling (coagulation of the milk by bacilli then curdled with rennet) and draining to separate the curds from the whey or milk plasma. The curds are then placed in jars (or faisselle) and preserved in the milk plasma until ready to be served.
The faisselle is not protected by a controlled trade name and the only mandatory mention on the packaging is: "draining in progress". Consequently, it can be produced anywhere in France. In 2008, the production of farmhouse fromages frais (like faisselle) totalled 38,059 tons, compared with 38,850 tons in 2007 (-2.1%). (Sources : CNIEL, La Maison du Lait, Scees)
At Rungis Market
As Mr Jacques Martin, Manager of the "fresh dairy produce" department of Odéon, explains: "Faisselle, like fromage frais, is a product for summer consumption and we sell about 160 packets a week in the summer. However, we sell a lot less with the approach of winter. With fromage frais, faisselle is the cream cheese with the highest sales."
