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14-459: Saint-Martin-lès-Melle ( French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ maʁtɛ̃ lɛ mɛl] , literally Saint-Martin near Melle ) is a former commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France . On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Melle . This Deux-Sèvres geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Melle, Deux-S%C3%A8vres It

28-409: Is called a "bonde", per the shape of the bunghole of a wine barrel. and is aged for 10 to 20 days. It is the only goat cheese that is soft ripened allowed by Protected Designation of Origin regulations to be produced using pasteurized milk. Chabichou is very white and smooth, and flexible to the palate, with a fine caprine odor. The legend of Chabichou goes back to 732, at the time of the defeat of

42-408: Is home a variety of traditional shops, as well as two large supermarkets and several restaurants. Chabichou Chabichou ( French pronunciation: [ʃabiʃu] ; also known as Chabichou du Poitou ) is a traditional semi-soft, unpasteurized, natural-rind French goat cheese ( or Fromage de Chèvre ) with a firm and creamy texture. Chabichou is formed in a cylindrical shape which

56-421: Is the major hub of business for the nearby towns of Saint-Léger , Chef-Boutonne , and Celles-sur-Belle and this is demonstrated by its business community and by the fact that it is home to the lycée (high school) for the region. Melle and the surrounding countryside is known for its own particular type of goat's cheese, ' chabichou '. Every Friday, a weekly market is being held on Place Bujault. The town

70-548: Is today best known as the home town of Ségolène Royal , the 2007 Socialist candidate for the election of the Presidency of the Republic . The director Laurent Cantet was born here as well as the archaeologist Gaston Deschamps (1861–1931). During the early Middle Ages, Melle was an active center of minting, thanks to important silver mines located under and around the city. These were mined from 602 to at least 995. The mined ore

84-555: The Arabs in the area, in the 8th century, after the Battle of Poitiers . Many of them left the area but some settled there with their families and, in particular, their goat herds. The countryside was appropriate for grazing the "poor man's cow", as the pastures were excellent. The cheese was then named cheblis ("goat", in Arabic ), which would become "chabichou" thereafter. However, the domestication of

98-636: The Charente . See the official website of Chabichou du Poitou at http://www.chabichou-du-poitou.eu . Chabichou of Poitou is made of fresh and whole goat's milk. It is quickly but slightly pressurized: less than 100 microliters per liter of milk. They then let the milk coagulate during a 24-hour period between 20 and 22 °C. This curd is then moulded manually with a ladle or mixer into perforated and truncated moulds and left to drain for another 18 to 24 hours while turning it over it two or three times, maintaining it at 22 °C. Afterwards, they are removed from

112-573: The Romanesque style during the 11th and 12th centuries. Melle is an ancient town which has traditional French architecture, some dating back before the 17th century. The silver mine in Melle is claimed to be the oldest silver mine in Europe still open to the public. The mine itself is some 20 km (12 mi) long, and visitors can explore 350 m of it, with guided tours each day. The church of Saint-Hilaire

126-558: The French "Guide du voyageur à Poitiers et aux environs". When regional wine production slowed in the late 1800s due to the European phylloxera crisis, production of Chabichou increased; production increased again with the development of the cooperative dairies (1906 in Bougon ). The AOC production zone is limited to an area south of Haut-Poitou: the south of Vienne, the Deux-Sèvres and the north of

140-418: The goat in this area is supposed to date back to Roman colonization, and extends up to the present. Chabichou du Poitou , made exclusively in the north of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, acquired its AOC status in 1990 with the assistance of the efforts of Ségolène Royal . It is known for its characteristic label. Its production rose to 555 tons in 2003. Since 1782, Chabichou du Poitou has been mentioned in

154-497: The meadow nearby is a medieval fountain and basin, known as the Pré de la Maladerie, which was reserved for lepers . Melle also boasts a 6 km (3.7 mi) walk known as the Arboretum du Chemin de la Découverte . This walk passes more than 1000 species of trees and shrubs from the temperate areas of the world, and a collection of over 100 roses. Today, Melle is a vibrant small town. It

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168-616: Was galena : lead containing silver . The lead served first of all to pay a tribute to the Frankish kings: under Dagobert I , eight thousand pounds were sent to Paris every year, where he served for the cover of the Basilica of St Denis . Under the reign of Charlemagne it was a mining centre and was, for a time, the home of the French mint : the Aachen penny of Charlemagne , the first coin of Charlemagne to be found at his capital of Aachen/Aix ,

182-572: Was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France . Among other places to visit are the wash-houses and fountains of Melle. 400m from the church of Saint-Pierre is a small octagonal building with an arcade around its perimeter. There a fountain pours from the rock, into the basin where women gathered to do their washing. In

196-471: Was minted at Metullo . The silver mines which supplied the mint continued to function off and on before being forgotten altogether in the 18th century, not to be discovered again until the 20th century. The mine is now a tourist attraction and can be visited most days of the year. In the Middle Ages, Melle flourished as a town, as we can see from its surviving medieval houses and the three churches, built in

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