The name of Abondance cheese comes from the name of the town where the market was held, located in the Thonon-les-Bains region (Haute-Savoie).

Its history is the same as that of all mid-mountain cheeses. This cheese from Savoie, Abondance, is made from the whole milk of cows of the "Abondance" breed, coagulated very slowly at a temperature of 27°C. AOC since 1990.

Abondance cheese has a delicate hazelnut taste and a slight hint of bitterness, rounded off by a supple and melting paste resulting from the particular know-how of half-cooked cheese. This cheese is presented in the form of small wheels because of the relatively small production of milk, linked to the low number of each herd.

It is currently very rare. Abondance cheese takes the form of a cylindrical wheel with a straight heel, 35 to 45 cm in diameter and 8 cm thick. Its weight varies between 7 and 10 kg. The cheese is matured for four to six months in a cool, damp cellar with washing.

The production of Abondance cheese is carried out in an artisanal way by about sixty farmers and by small workshops, the "fruitières", which group together the milk of several farmers. All the production and refining sites are obligatorily located in the geographical area defined by the AOC.

The main sources of feed for the cows are grazed grass in the summer and hay in the winter. Any fermented feed is strictly forbidden. Only 3 breeds of cows are authorised for milk production:

Tarine, Montbéliarde and of course Abondance! In the region for more than 15 centuries, the Abondance breed of cow has adapted to the harsh climate, rugged terrain and difficult conditions of the mountains.

It is recognisable by its mahogany coat and the brown pigmented rings ("spectacles") around its eyes.