The name of this cheese comes from that of ‘La Mothe-Saint-Heray’. It should be noted that this name is only for those cheeses produced by the co-operative cheese dairy. Mothais cheese has been produced for a very long time. It is thought that it started to be produced by the ancient Chabis just after the Arabs were conquered.
This cheese is shaped as a disc with a 13cm diameter, a thickness of 2.5cm and a weight of 400g. The rind is natural and is presented on leaves from the Plane tree, which gives it its name ‘sur feuille’ meaning ‘on a leaf.’ This cheese is matured for 2 weeks until it is dry, and then a further 2 weeks for the rind to develop. It had a fine bluish rind and an accentuated caprine odour. It has a nutty and sometimes piquant flavour.