Go well with: grey Pinot, Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gewurztraminer. France is the largest producer of goat cheese in the world. A young Soumaintrain will be firm in the center, with acidic and lactic flavors, while a five to six-week-old Soumaintrain, at its peak ripeness, will be oozing and creamy under the rind and have a much richer, nutty, almost meaty flavor. Like I said previously, the Cantal can weigh between 35 and 45 kg! I will save this post for my next (dreaming of) trip to Paris. Undoubtably one of the most famous foods in France, French Cheese, happens to be one of my favorite foods on earth. Its in the middle of the XVIIIth century that we heard about the Langres cheese for the first time, in a composed sing by the city Dominican Prior. The cheese that we know today as Brie was called Brie de Meaux in the past. The pungent cheese is . Creamy, with a blue-green mold, its texture is more moist and sticky, thoughprobably because it is made from cows milk not sheeps. It has a fluffy, mold-covered rind with heady aromas of butter, cruciferous vegetables and mushrooms, whose interior is creamy and pale yellow. After moving to the south of France almost two decades ago, she has steadily been tasting her way through each and every cheese produced in France, a project that started one day on a whim and that has developed into a full-fledged infatuation. France produces somewhere between 1400 to 1600 cheeses (according to the French dairy farmers), so shopping at a fromagerie or a market means being faced with shelves and cases of all shapes and sizes of cheese. Thanks to the rennets which occur naturally in the animal stomach, used milk turns into curd then into whey. The washed rind cheese are often the most fragrant cheese, but their strong aroma can be deceptive as it doesnt necessarily mean the cheeses taste is strong. My family and I spent a week in Arches, just up the mountain from Beaufort, this August. Why is French cheese famous? A cheese from Normandy, Camembert is perhaps the most famous French cheese, and is known and imitated worldwide. The blue mold used specifically to make blue cheese is called Penicillium Roqueforti which is also found in the soil all over the world.. Wikipedia lists a whopping 388 different types of cheeses from France. It was invented by the massif farmers to remedy the insufficient milk collecting to produce Comt. It is a soft cheese that has a white rind and a soft, creamy center. The flavor of this cheese develops as it ages. , and for a handful of publications, while studying to earn a French Wine Scholar certificate. Morbier, produced in the Franche-Comt region of eastern France, is a semi-soft French cheese made from raw or pasteurized milk. You can almost feel the taste of green pastures and flowers in your mouth! A fresh, creamy goats cheese flavored with garlic, herbs, peppers or even cranberry, it goes very well on bread for breakfast, or as an appetizer. A large, very large cheese, the Cantal can weigh up to 100 pounds! The rind is salted and ashed with charcoal, which gives it a sweet taste. This tiny round goats cheese from Prigord in the Southwest of France is an explosion of aromas. Thank you. The Roquefort cheese has a strong taste and it is quite different from other cheeses. For a few months of every year, between November and March, when the animals are pregnant and dont naturally produce milk, many farmers stop cheese production completely to respect the breeding cycle. According to legend, the Roman emperor, Antoine the Pious, died of gluttony, which proves its seniority. Yes, we French also make Edam like our Belgian friends! When I asked a French cheesemonger friend of mine what he served with cheese, his response was, a baguette and wine, thats it.. With so many varieties, it's no surprise that cheese is one of the most famous French foods! The individual fresh cheeses are hand-coated with the dried herbs, sometimes topped with juniper berries and small chilies, and left to ripen in humid cellars for at least two weeks, or up to several months. We can eat fresh Brocciu and passu Brocciu, and this includes 21 days of cheese-ageing. Though there is a but: the quality and taste vary widely. Despite this. Also known as le Brin dAmour (a twig or sprig of love), this is an unpasteurized ewes milk cheese that has been produced on Corsica since the 1950s. On a trip to France in 1986 I discovered Reblochon (it was new to me), which at the time was not available in the U.S. Go well with: Chablis (aperitif), Bourgogne aligot or Champagne, Recipe idea: Beet crisps and Bouton de Culotte. Jennifer is now based in Paris where she leads gourmet food and wine tours, and guides fellow fromage lovers during small group tastings both privately, which can be booked through her website, and with Paris by Mouth. It is most often used in nachos, wrapped in ham, or on pizza. However, the city of Meaux is no longer allowed to use the name Brie to identify its cheese as the city of Brie (Brie-Comte-Robert) has the authority to do so. The rind has distinct notes of nuts, crme frache, and, not surprisingly, fragrant herbs, which are soft and perfectly edible. But if you want to try it, perhaps put it in a quiche. iGourmet.com also has a selection. Camembert Camembert. You can contact me directly at louloufrance@gmail.com to arrange a tour or a tasting. The minimum cheese-ageing is 30 days. France is known for its cheese, with over 300 names of them. It is a smaller goat cheese and even the smallest cheese of all! This is probably the largest category in the list and famous varieties are Camembert and Brie. Worth trying! The five most famous French food. What does the % mg stand for? History shows that Bouton de Culotte was born thanks to the herds of goat presence in the region. Favorite Paris pastry and chocolate shops. What a great post, thank you so much for sharing this list. However, most French cheeses are not soft. A young Camembert will tend to be hard and dry, and rather tasteless; an overripe Camembert, going yellowish on the outside, will tend to smell quite strongly and Just keep track of where it saves the file. The milk needed for its production comes from cows of Normandy, raised outdoors day and night. So it can be said that Gouda is a Dutch cheese. It is creamy, soft, and very mildin short: easy for everybody to eat. Tangy and mildly strong, the Banon is probably the best cheese you will find in the Provence area of France. Indeed, during the prehistory and, more precisely, during the Neolithic period (end of the Vth- beginning of the VIth millennium BC) that men expand the cheese manufacturing process. I highly recommend M. Bouchaits beautifully photographed and informative book about cheese, Fromages: An Experts Guide to French Cheese, which was translated from French to English last year. I highly recommend her wine & cheese course in Paris. Gougres (French Cheese Puffs) If you've ever made choux pastry, chances are it was for cream puffs or eclairs. It has a fluffy, mold-covered rind with heady aromas of butter, cruciferous vegetables and mushrooms, whose interior is creamy and pale yellow. Brie is soft cheese, originally named after the French region where it was created several hundred years ago as a tribute to the French kings. What a fantastic list thank you. and get to the meat of the thing. Le Crmeux du Month Saint Michel looks like the Brillat Savarin. Louis XIV loves and wants it every day for his meals. Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970) 6. A semi-soft, pressed, uncooked variety from the Alps, this is a very creamy cheese that is at its best when prepared in Tartiflette, a local specialty. Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer. The raising of goats was widespread in the region, the cheese is intended to be consumed by the family. Soupe L'oignon (French onion soup) French onion soup is made with meat stock and browned onions garnished with gratined croutons and cheese on top. If you are interested, St. Nectaire is a French cheese that is made from skimmed cows milk. We are so fortunate still to have dedicated farmers, looking after small herds using traditional methods to make our food. Wine pairing: A robust Anjou-Gamay or Chinon. Coming from the eastern part of France and Luxembourg, this cheese is really meant for cooking (the name actually comes from Kachkis, which in local dialect means cook-cheese). However, only around 30 of these are widely available in the United States, and even fewer are produced in large quantities. Possibly the smallest cheese in France, the diameter does not exceed 1.5 inches. The flavor of this cheese develops as it ages. The snowy white center of the cheese is well balanced with flavors of tangy buttermilk and mild honey. Some argue this is the best cheese made in France. It is also nicknamed bote cheese or strapped cheese because of the spruce bark belt, which keeps its shape and gives it a woody perfume. The Bleu dAuvergne is a cow milk blue-veined cheese, unlike his cousin, the Roquefort which is made with ewe milk. Now I am motivated to lose a kilo or two just so I can indulge in a cheeseplate with at least three of these delightful and unusual choices. Something like a rind covered with twigs isnt likely to be pleasant, and some rinds are heavily moldy, astringent, and wont taste good. It was lovely to see the beautiful brown cattle everywhere, to wake up to the sound of cow bells, and, when hiking, see the mobile milking stations used when the cows are in the alpages over the summer. Wine pairing: A dessert wine such as a Sancerre from Burgundy. Maybe ask them to stock it again? 7 Gluten-Free Restaurants in Paris That Really Worth it, 8 Restaurants in Paris Where to Eat an Excellent Coq au Vin, 9 Delicious Gourmet Food Tours That Are Worth It in Paris, Copyright 1996-2022 france-hotel-guide.com. Cheddar is arguably the most iconic cheese in the United States, Keenan said. In other words, it can be divided into several categories. France has a very long tradition of making cheese and the U.S. doesnt have the same history, and culture, but there are really great cheeses in the U.S. now as well, and many do win prizes in international tastings. where do i find info on your tours hope to be in paris net spring. Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox! (Like I do!) A couple of good websites for French cheeses are fromages.com and murrayscheese.com. The origins of macarons can be traced back to the 8th century. than you Jennifer X. Emmental is often used grated to go with pasta or in sandwiches. When Im in the mood for a strong cheese with layers of complex umami flavor and an unforgettably funky aroma, this is what I buy. Get my newsletter for a tasty mix of food, Paris, life, and travel! The cheese most often found in the US grocery stores under the name Gruyere is actually Swiss. France provides us with a thousand different cheese varieties, including soft cheeses (Camembert, Coulommiers, Munster), blue-veined cheeses (Roquefort, Bleu dAuvergne), pressed cooked cheeses (Gruyere, Comt, Parmesan), 45 controlled designations of origin cheeses and 38 protected designations of origin cheeses. According to legend, this soft, bloomy rind cheese would be born in Camembert village (Orne), in the Jacques and Marie Harels property. Thank you Delicious! This wonderful, thank you for sharing it with us! Brie . It is probably the most famous French cheese. The Tarte au Maroilles, for instance, is a simple hot pie from the North of France made mostly with this cheese, sometimes with leeks as well. The Pelardon from Languedoc is a soft, bloomy rind goat cheese, and its name originated from the cevenol language (pebre which means pepper). I sometimes have to convince people to try this cheese, and when they do, it often becomes their favorite on the cheeseboard. And while goat cheese is available and made all year long (sometimes producers will freeze cheese curds or farmers will use tricks such as lights that mimic the summer sun so they breed off-season), the spring, summer and early autumn months are the best time to enjoy fresh, young, In the early 2000s, the son of a cheesemaker, Pierre Pradier, established his own farm in the Haute-Provence with a small herd of Rove goats, a breed that is native to the region and known for its distinctive twisted, lyre-shaped horns and for producing very rich, concentrated milk. Wine pairing: Try it with a dry Champagne. The more common Beaufort AOC (Appellation dOrigine Contrle a strict set of regulations protecting French food and wine) is delicious in its own right, and made in cooperative dairies between November and May from the milk of cows that graze in mountain valleys. Additionally, these special cheeses must be curdled and molded into alpine chalets following traditional methods, then taken down from the mountains at the end of the season, where they are put into cold aging cellars for at least five months. The King of cheeses - Brie . Sanere manus! Additionally, these special cheeses must be curdled and molded into alpine chalets following traditional methods, then taken down from the mountains at the end of the season, where they are put into cold aging cellars for at least five months. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Wild garlic grows in the woods. In terms of flavor, this is an elegant cheese with concentrated notes of hazelnut, warm butter, caramel, and sweet grasses. Well have to celebrate your return to Paris with lots of cheese. Devoted to la vache Normande, cows known for producing top-quality milk that is exceptionally rich in protein and butterfat, and prized for cheesemaking, their cheeses are made solely from the milk and cream that arrives daily from a small-scale, neighboring farmer who raises about 50 Normandy cows. Belle Davids answer is spot on. Choosing just ten wasnt easy because I love them all! Thats a lot of cheese! Roquefort is not loved by all as it has a very strong and poignant taste and aroma. is delicious in its own right, and made in cooperative dairies between November and May from the milk of cows that graze in mountain valleys. It Refrigeration is the number one way to protect garlic. The most traditional version is cheese souffl, but it can also include mushrooms or even be prepared as a dessert, chocolate souffl and lemon souffl being the most popular varieties. I wrote a lot more about how to serve cheese, as they do in France, in my book My Paris Kitchen. Go well with: Dry white wine of Jura, Bourgueil, Saint-Emilion or Graves, Recipe idea: Mont dOr in the oven (one garlic clove and one tablespoon of white wine). Gruyere is most often used in fondue. What are the most popular French cheeses? There are three categories of Beaufort, and Beaufort Chalet dAlpage has the strictest regulations and is the most scarce, with only about 15 producers still employing its time-honored production method. These are cheeses that are either loved or hated. This particular variety was inspired by the Dutch cheese Edam. David, I have been following Jennifer for years (as I have you) and I am so happy to see this post by her and you. Cheese-ageing is about 10 days. Thomas Poussard is a French writer, journalist and tour guide, living in beautiful and artsy Valparaiso, Chile since 2006. Choosing just ten wasnt easy because I love them all! The exterior of . Even though it is mass-produced, this is my favorite variety in the blue cheese family. You can choose between demi-sel or cendre du lait. Gustave Eiffel (1832 - 1923) 12. Here in France, you have virtually unlimited cheese options but here are the most popular types of French cheeses White Mold Cheese - Brie de Meaux, Brie de Melun, Camembert, Brillat Savarin Washed Rind Cheese - Mont d'Or, Epoisses, Pont L'eveque, Cure Nantais Uncooked semi-hard cheese - Tomme Cooked and pressed cheese - Emmental and Gruyre In the XVth century, Charles VI then, Charles VII grant to Roquefort habitants, several privileges. Roquefort is a famous cheese which is also considered as the best cheese in the world. It is more of an acquired taste, but those who love it are very loyal to it. , which was translated from French to English last year. I think uoud like them. You can find it at any supermarket in the country. This is perhaps the most iconic of French cheeses, the one that features in the clich of the Frenchman with the bret, baguette, and bottle of wine. It is also known as Broadleaf or Ramsons. There are many types of French cheese, but one of the most popular is . Also known as le Brin dAmour (a twig or sprig of love), this is an unpasteurized ewes milk cheese that has been produced on Corsica since the 1950s. This is, in itself, a sub-category of cheese. Featuring a beige crust, the Mont-dOr is surprisingly soft inside, to the point where it runs (hence the wooden belt used during maturation to retain its shape). My memories bring back the ripeness of the cheeses in those markets as I read the article. In 1860, the Savoy was incorporated in the French Empire, which started the Reblochons trade, promoted by the railway in Annecy. Unlike our Swiss friends who are using scalded milk, French Mont dOr is exclusively composed of raw milk. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'france_hotel_guide_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_10',645,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-france_hotel_guide_com-medrectangle-3-0'); The Cantal is a pressed, uncooked cows milk cheese. Vieux-Boulogne This shows how regional this product can be! But you haven't lived until you've tried a savory version. Comt makes a cameo appearance in the Beaufort photo :) Its a rare product, which is tasted exclusively at some point in the year (September to May). France is, of course, knowns for its spectacular cheeses. The main purpose Garlic is a plant bulb. In 1849, the abbot Feraud talks about it: we run in Banon several attended fairs. 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