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It has been suggested that List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée cheeses be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
This is a list of cheeses from France. Traditionally, there were from 350 to 400, but there are now over 1,000.[1]
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Protected Designation of Origin
Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established cheeses, including many French cheeses, are covered by a Protected Designation of Origin and other, less stringent designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities (for details see the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) system used in Italy, and the Denominación de origen system used in Spain).
A complete list of agricultural products with an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG), listed alphabetically by nation, is at the Europa Agriculture site.
French cheese production is classified under four categories, and PDO/AOC rules dictate which category(ies) each protected cheese may be assigned to[2]:
- Fermier: A farmhouse cheese, which is produced on the farm where the milk is produced.
- Artisanal: A producer producing cheese in relatively small quantities using milk from their own farm, but may also purchase milk from local farms.
- Coopérative: A dairy with local milk producers in an area that have joined to produce cheese. In larger coopératives quantities of cheese produced may be relatively large, akin to some industriel producers (many may be classed as factory-made[3]).
- Industriel: A factory-made cheese from milk sourced locally or regionally, perhaps all over France (depending on the AOC/PDO regulations for specific cheeses).
List of protected French cheeses
56 cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. The majority are classified as Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), the highest level of protection. Some are also protected under the less stringent but still legally regulated designation Label Régional (LR). A few French cheeses are protected under the European Union's Protected Geographic Indication designation (PGI). Many familiar generic types, like Boursin, are not covered. It may come as a surprise to see varieties of Emmental cheese protected as a French cheese. This list differs from those of AOC status.
Popular French cheeses
1. Camembert*
2. Brie de Meaux*
3. Roquefort*
4. Boursin
5. Reblochon*
6. Munster*
7. Pont l'Evèque
8. Époisses
9. Chèvre
10. Tomme de Savoie*
- = protected by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
1. Camembert is a soft, ripened cheese made from unpasteurized cow’s milk. It originated in Normandy, coming from the Pays d’Auge, the historic name for the region and time period it came from. Real Camembert de Normandie must have the VCN stamp of approval on the label. Since raw milk cheeses are not allowed into the US (although domestic raw milk cheese may be sold), impostor Camemberts are made. Camembert has a slight salty taste with a sweet tang.
2. Brie de Meaux comes from the Ile-de-France region. It is made with both pasteurized and unpasteurized cows milk. This cheese comes in small platter sized disks and is wrapped in wax paper and put inside a wooden box to keep it at the perfect ripeness and freshness. Has a mushroom like aroma and a nutty garlic flavoring.
3. Roquefort is a type of blue cheese. It is made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk, and has a soft, edible rind. This cheese is similar to a French Bleu des Causses of and Bleu d’Auvergne because of its subtle flavor and salty rind. This cheese is supplied by four companies.
4. Boursin is a triple-créme cow’s milk type of Brie, coming from the Ile-de-France region. It is sold in pasteurized and unpasteurized forms. This cheese has a 75% fat content, similar to all triple-créme cheeses. Boursin is smooth, and has a nutty flavor. It is rich and creamy.
5. Reblochon is made in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions of France. It is an unpasteurized cheese with a soft texture similar to Brie. Though unpasteurized cheese aged less than 60 days is not allowed through US ports, some makers age it a few days longer (normally aged 50 to 55 days), so it can come into the US. Has a sweet beefy flavor.
6. Munster is from the Alsace region of France. This cheese has a dry, firm, inedible rind when young, and is dark and smooth when ripe. The cheese is soft and creamy, and has a beefy favor.
7. Pont l'Evèque originated from the Pays d’Auge in Normandy. This cheese comes in eight to thirteen ounce, boxed squares, and has a 50% fat content. It is sold both pasteurized and unpasteurized. It is similar to Camembert, with a more intense flavor.
8. Époisses comes from Burgundy, France. IT is illegal in the US because it is unpasteurized. This cheese has a rustic smell. It has a reddish brown rind, and a vibrant flavor. The cheese is packaged in small wooden boxes.
9. Chèvre is a soft, mild, goat cheese. It is molded in cylinders, so has a round tube-like shape. It has a sharp and tangy flavor when aged a long period.
10. Tomme de Savoie originated in Savoie, France. It is a pasteurized and unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese. It is semi-pressed, because it is made from pressed curds. The rind is natural yet inedible. This cheese has a very low 20% to 40% fat content. There is a noticeable fuzz on the outside rind, and has mild yet savory flavor and aroma.[citation needed]
Other French cheeses
- Abbaye de Belloc
- Abbaye de Tamié
- Bleu de Bresse
- Boursin cheese
Brillat-Savarin - Brie Noir (Black Brie)
- Broccio Passu
- Bucheron
- Cabecou
- Cancoillotte
- Carré de l'Est
- Chamois d'Or
- Chaumes cheese
- Coeur de Neufchatel
- Coulommiers
- Delice Du Calvados
- Édel de Cléron
- Explorateur
- Fromager d'Affinois
- Gaperon
- Lavort
- Mont des Cats
- Mimolette
- Niolo
- Olivet cendré
- Port Salut
- Raclette
- Rigotte de Condrieu
- Rochebarron
- Roue de Brielove
- Saint Albray
- Saint-André
- Saint-Marcellin
- Saint-Paulin
- Tarentais
- Tome des Bauges
- Tomme Boudane
- Tomme au Fenouil
- Tomme du Revard
- Vacherin Mont d'Or
- Vieux-Boulogne
- Tomme Butone
See also
External links
- (English) Comprehensive Information on French Cheeses
- Pictures Gallery of French Cheese (and some else)
Quotes
- "A country producing almost 360 different types of cheese cannot die."
- Winston Churchill in june 1940
- "Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?"
- ("How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?")
- Charles de Gaulle (from Les Mots du Général, Ernest Mignon (1962))
- "Un repas sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un œil."
- ("A meal without cheese is a beautiful woman with an eye missing.")
- Brillat-Savarin (from La Physiologie du goût)
Notes
- ^ Cidilait, Elevage et marché[1]
- ^ Masui, T.; Tomoko, Y., Hodgson, R., Robuchon, J. (2004). French Cheeses. DK. ISBN 1-4053-0666-1.
- ^ Barthélemy, Roland; Sperat-Czar, Arnaud (2004). Cheeses of the world. Hachette Illustrated (London). ISBN 184430115X.
- ^ Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
- ^ http://fromages.com/cheese_library.php
- ^ http://www.cheese-france.com/club/top10_cheese.htm
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