Tomme de Romans

Tomme de Romans, more fully Tomme de Romans, is a small, drum-shaped cow's milk cheese from the town of Romans-sur-Isère in the Drôme valley of southeastern France. The cheese is closely associated with the weekly cheese fair held in the surrounding market towns, where wheels are still sold by the half and quarter from wooden stalls, often alongside the local walnut bread and cured meats of the Vercors.

The recipe uses raw or pasteurised cow's milk from local herds, set with a mesophilic starter and rennet. The curd is cut finely, gently scalded, and pressed into small drums that are then drained, brined, and aged on wooden shelves for several weeks. The rind develops a thin, grey-brown natural mould as the cheese ripens, while the interior stays pale ivory and soft, almost brie-like, at the centre.

The flavour is gentle, milky, and slightly nutty, with the woody, mushroom-like notes typical of small Drôme tommes. It is at its best slightly cool from the cellar, sliced thickly onto bread and eaten with a young Côtes du Rhône or a local Clairette de Die. The cheese is one of the pillars of the Drôme food scene, and Romans-sur-Isère itself hosts a large annual cheese fair in late summer, when local producers present their tommes alongside other regional specialties.

Tomme de Romans is a traditional cow’s milk cheese from the Drôme region in southeastern France, specifically associated with the town of Romans-sur-Isère. Its exact origins are debated, but the cheese has been produced in the Dauphiné area for centuries, likely as a farmhouse cheese made to preserve surplus milk. Regional variations exist among different tommes across the Alps, but Tomme de Romans is distinguished by its washed rind and semi-soft, creamy paste, often aged for a few months.

In local culture, Tomme de Romans is a staple of the region’s gastronomy, frequently featured in gratin dishes, salads, and as a table cheese. It reflects the pastoral heritage of the Rhône-Alpes, where small-scale dairy farming and artisanal cheesemaking remain vital. The cheese also plays a role in local markets and fairs, reinforcing its identity as a symbol of the Drôme’s culinary traditions.