Who is Candy?
#Candy, Vosgienne, mascot of # SIA2011
Candy is a Vosgienne cow with a speckled black and white coat. A white stripe runs down her back from neck to tail. The Vosgienne's head is generally white, mottled or even ash-coloured up to the ears which are black, as are the horns, nostrils and hooves.
A remarkably robust breed of cattle, the Vosgienne is an excellent walker and is particularly suited to difficult terrain. Not very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, it is ideally suited to the conditions of mountain breeding. Its milk is rich in fat and proteins, making it perfect for producing Munster cheese.
Found in the Vosges mountains and more generally in eastern France, these cows today represent 9,500 head in France. The Vosges having been much contested with neighbouring Germany, the breed was decimated during the two world wars of the last century. It was only very recently, in the 1970s, that this local, hardy breed managed to avoid permanent extinction.