Banon is a raw, whole goat's milk cheese, certified PDO since 2003. In the past, to provide families in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence with protein during the winter, when goat's milk dried up, shepherds' wives would wrap the cheeses in chestnut leaves to preserve them. This traditional technique continues and is a unique characteristic of Banon PDO.
The milk is collected from 8 producers of AOP goat's milk. Banon AOP Étoile de Provence is then made at the Fromagerie de Banon . Made using the soft curd technique, it is hand-molded, matured for 5 to 10 days, then "folded" to isolate it from the air: the cheesemakers wrap it by hand in brown chestnut leaves, bound with natural raffia. The ripening under the leaves then continues for 10 days. This traditional method keeps the paste smooth to the core. The chestnut leaves that wrap it are collected each autumn in the forest by the cheese dairy, dried and then stored.
Banon AOP, which weighs between 90g and 100g, is easily recognizable by its casing of brown leaves. Its bloomy rind is cream or golden brown in color, and its interior is melting. On the palate, it is a blend of sweetness and subtle aromas of undergrowth, the result of the alchemy between the soft goat curd and the tannins of chestnut leaves.