Draft:Bethmale valley

The Bethmale valley, in the Ariège department in the Occitanie of the French Pyrenees. (See https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vall%C3%A9e_de_Bethmale)

Name

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The name is of Gascon origin: "Beth" (beautiful) and "Malh" (mountain, mountain side).[1]

Organization

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The valley contains six villages in two communes:

Commune de Bethmale
  • Ayet
  • Samortein
Commune d'Arrien-en-Bethmale
  • Aret
  • Arrien
  • Tournac
  • Villargein

Located in the former province of Couserans, it is well known for its local culture, and for a cheese they produce, a semi-hard cow's milk cheese traditionally made from raw milk.[2]

  1. ^ Lespy, Vastin; Raymond, Paul (1998). Dictionnaire béarnais, ancien et moderne (in French). Marrimpouey. p. 385.
  2. ^ "Bethmale: French Pyrénées's Most Famous Cheese". Cheese Atlas. 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.