Tom or Tom?

40796 Views 28/07/2023 0 comments Posted By: Emmanuel Poulet-Harmel In: Blog of gourmets

 Not easy to know how to write the name of this mountain cheese. The Very Gourmand team helps you understand so that you no longer make the mistake. 

  Tomme de Savoie
 In  Savoie, in particular, tomme is the generic name that designates disc-shaped cheeses. 

 The best known, the Tomme de Savoie has its name subject to the conditions set out in the specifications of the official label of the European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) since 1996. 

 The vast majority of alpine tommes are written with two “m” (Tomme des Allues, Tomme boudane, Tomme de Courchevel, Tomme au fennel, Tomme au marc, Tomme d'Annecy, Tomme blanche) but one exception sows confusion: the Bauges volume. 

  Tome des Bauges
 The spelling of the volume of Bauges would simply be a desire for differentiation on the part of its producers. In 1972, the producers of this cheese created a SICA (Société d'Intérêt Collectif Agricole) and registered the trademark “Tome des Bauges” to differentiate themselves from the tommes produced throughout Savoie. Later, in 1986, an Interprofessional Syndicate of the Tome des Bauges was created to make the tome the flagship product of the massif, finally resulting in an AOC in 2002 then an AOP in 2007. The tome des Bauges AOP is thus the only cheese of great notoriety having chosen the camp of the unique M! 

  volume
 Among the other exceptions, less known, we also note: 

 - the volume of Brig
 - the volume of Vésubie
 - the snow tome La Mémée
 - the volume of Arles 

 In summary, the Tommes de Savoie mostly take two “m”s with the exception of the Tomme des Bauges which wanted to keep only one “m” to differentiate itself.