The word tomme originates from touma, which in Occitan designates a soft cheese that only underwent one transformation. It refers to the curd made from strongly pressed but not yet salted cow's milk extracted from the cycle of manufacture of Cantal AOP and a few other kinds of cheese like Salers of Laguiole. Slightly acidic, the tomme can be used at this stage in a melted form in the preparation of local dishes based on potatoes such as aligot and truffade. Otherwise, the tomme continues its transformation cycle through crushing, salting, second pressing, and refining.