Gaperon is a specialty French gourmet cheese from the Auvergne region. Gaperon was originally made with the 'babeurre', the left over from making butter, buttermilk. Customs have changed today and Gaperon is no longer made from buttermilk. The Gaperon cheeses used to be hung from the rafters or at the kitchen window to ripen and, it was said, a farmer's wealth could be gauged by counting them.

Shaped like a flat-bottomed ball, Gaperon has a white bloomy rind which turns a deep straw color as it ripens. This fine gourmet cheese is bound with raffia or ribbon with a label on the top or bottom. Gaperon ripens from chalky white to ivory when it becomes quite soft and supple. Its pungent flavor comes partly from the cheese itself but also from the local garlic which is combined with it. Peppercorns sometimes join garlic in the flavorings for this cheese, and the aroma and taste of this fine French gourmet cheese is unmistakable.

The flavor is tart when the cheese is young and net yet ripe, but turns buttery and brie-like, with nearly overwhelming garlic and pepper notes when ripened.