Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE FIVE BASIC CHEESE TYPES
'How can you govern a country that has 246 types of cheese?' Charles de Gaulle
once quipped. A more relevant question for non-Frenchies: How do you come to
grips with a shop that sells 246 types of cheese? The choices on offer at a fromager-
ie(cheese shop) can be overwhelming, but vendors will always allow you to sample
before you buy, and they are usually very generous with their guidance and pairing
advice. The following list divides French cheeses into five main groups - as they are
usually divided in a shop - and recommends several types in each family to try.
Fromage à p
i-dure 'Semi-hard cheese' means uncooked, pressed cheese.
Among the finest are Tomme de Savoie, made from either raw or pasteurised cow's
milk; Cantal, a cow's milk cheese from Auvergne that tastes something like Cheddar;
St-Nectaire, a pressed cheese that has a strong, complex taste; and Ossau-Iraty, a
ewe's milk cheese made in the Basque Country.
Fromage à p
e à pâte de
e demi-dur
e dure 'Hard cheese' is always cooked and then pressed. Among the
most popular are Beaufort, a grainy cow's milk cheese with a slightly fruity taste
from Rhône-Alpes; Comté, a cheese made with raw cow's milk in Franche-Comté;
Emmental, a cow's milk cheese made all over France; and Mimolette, an Edam-like
dark-orange cheese from Lille that can be aged for up to 36 months.
Fromage à p
e à pâte dur
olle 'Soft cheese' is moulded or rind-washed. Camembert, a clas-
sic moulded cheese from Normandy that for many is synonymous with 'French
cheese', and Brie de Meaux are both made from raw cow's milk. Munster from
Alsace, mild Chaource and strong-smelling Langres from Champagne, and the odor-
ous Époisses de Bourgogne are rind-washed, fine-textured cheeses.
Fromage à p
e à pâte m
e molle
illée 'Marbled' or 'blue cheese' is so called because the veins of-
ten resemble persille(parsley). Roquefort is a ewe's milk veined cheese that is to
many the king of French cheeses. Fourme d'Ambert is a mild cow's milk cheese from
Rhône-Alpes. Bleu du Haut Jura (also called Bleu de Gex) is a mild, blue-veined
mountain cheese.
Fromage de ch
e à pâte p
e persillé
e de chèvre 'Goat's milk cheese' is usually creamy and both sweet and
slightly salty when fresh, but hardens and gets much saltier as it matures. Among
the best varieties are Ste-Maure de Touraine, a creamy, mild cheese from the Loire
region; Crottin de Chavignol, a classic though saltier variety from Burgundy; Cabé-
cou de Rocamadour from Midi-Pyrenées, often served warm with salad or marinated
in oil and rosemary; and Chabichou, a soft, slightly aged cheese from Poitou.
