Salers cheese is a very special variant of Cantal cheese. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of Salers getting its own AOC designation, so separating out Salers cheese as having very clear characteristics not found in regular Cantal cheese. The process of claiming a cheese brand recalls the efforts of Tyssandier d’Escous in the 19th century to secure recognition for Salers cattle.

Both Cantal and Salers cheeses are made from the milk of Salers cows, but the coveted Salers appellation applies only to cheese made while the cattle are up on their high summer pastures, a period that generally extends from mid-May to early November.