"Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cents quarante-six variétés de fromage?" - Charles de Gaulle
(Translation - How do you govern a nation that has 246 varieties of cheese?)
"S'il qui mange du fromage, s'il ne fait, il enrage." - French proverb
(Translation - The one who does not eat cheese, is always in a state of turbulence.)
"Fromage et pain est medicin au sain." - French proverb
(Translation - Cheese and bread are medicine for health.)
"Un repas sans fromage comme un journée sans soleil." - French proverb
(Translation - Any meal without cheese in it is like a day without the sun in it.)
If nothing else, the above quotes must indicate how deeply ensconced cheese is in the lives of Frenchmen. Fromage, as the people there call it, is a very deep part of their daily lives. Though the Charles de Gaulle quote indicates that there were 246 varieties of cheeses in France in his time, today probably there are 500 varieties. Throughout its evolution, the French society, both rural and urban, both serfdom and royal, have created and perfected several varieties of this velvety smooth dairy product. Almost all the French cheeses have become great exports to other countries, notably England, and the drool is still spreading to every part of the world.
So while we are willingly getting conquered by the great French drool, let us apprise ourselves of some of the things about French cheeses. Sure you must get confounded when you see all the yellow, orange, red, blue and green cheeses in the superstores? Well, read this, and the confusion will be greatly lessened.
Here's a list of some of the most popular French cheeses available worldwide and some basic descriptions on them.
Beaufort
Original ingredient - cow's milk
Region of origin - Savoy
Color - pale yellow
Taste - sharp tangy taste
Texture - a hard, easy to cut texture
Best accompaniment - white wine and salmon
Other points - This cheese is quite similar to holed cheeses like Gruyère, Comte and the Swiss Emmental in its taste. It is a favorite cheese for fondue recipes.
Blue d'Auvergne
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Auvergne
Color - dark creamy with blue markings, brown rind
Taste - sharp pungent, but buttery
Best accompaniment - sweet and strong wines, in salads and pastas
Other points - Due to its taste, this cheese is more popular in foreign markets than other French blue cheeses.
Camembert
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Normandy
Color - a dry white rind with a creamy yellow interior
Taste - a milky, melting flavor that lingers in the mouth, external ingredients like cadaverine, citrulline or orthinine may be added to give a somewhat bitter highlighting taste
Texture - soft, creamy and runny. It is hard when fresh, but becomes runnier as it ripens.
Best accompaniment - can be used in many French preparations which does not require much heating. It is also eaten as it is on bread.
Other points - It's taste depreciates drastically when heated. It is similar to Brie cheese in taste.
Comté
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk, specifically the Montbéliard cows
Region of origin - Franche-Comté
Color - dusty brown exterior rind, yellowish interior
Taste - less salty, rather sweet and feels a bit nutty
Texture - can be classified as semi-hard to hard
Best accompaniment - any French cuisine and wines
Other points - This is the most popular cheese produced in France, and is produced with high-grade fermenting techniques.
Neufchâtel
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Normandy
Color - a dry white rind with a yellower interior
Taste - a subtle creamy taste, that is saltier and sharper than that of Camembert
Texture - soft and smooth to the feel, but it has a grainy texture
Best accompaniment - used both in French cooking and eaten raw on bread
Other points - If you find cheese sold in the shape of a heart, you will know it is Neufchâtel. But the American Newcastle cheese is very different from its authentic French version, so if you want the true taste, insist on the French Neufchâtel.
Roquefort
Original ingredient - ewe's milk
Region of origin - Roquefort
Color - white with blue markings
Taste - a combination of tastes actually - begins with a very subtle creamy taste that becomes sharper in the mouth, then gets a smoked punch to it, and finally ends with a salty finish. The blue areas are sharper to the taste.
Texture - not quite hard, but not runny either - a semi-hard texture
Best accompaniment - wine and vegetable dishes
Other points - This cheese is known as the King of Cheeses due to its assortment of tastes. By sheer popularity and amount of production, it is the second ranked cheese in France.
Tomme des Pyrenees
Original ingredient - can be milk of either cows, goats or ewes
Region of origin - Mid Pyrenees and Aquitaine
Color - deep yellow, with orange tinges and it may show a black skin
Taste - creamy, slightly salty
Texture - This is one of the harder cheeses of France, which could require a cheese cutter or a sharp knife to cut.
Best accompaniment - wine
Other points - This cheese is sometimes marketed as the Cheese of the Pyrenees. Even today, the cheese is made using traditional methods.
Tomme de Savoie
Original ingredient - cow's milk
Region of origin - Savoy
Color - grayish brown in the exterior, creamy in the interior
Taste - mildly salty, creamy
Texture - softer than most Tommes
Best accompaniment - as a spreading cheese on bread or toast
Other points - This cheese is a low-fat cheese and that's one reason for its popularity in foreign countries. It is also notable for its thick rind.
Valençay
Original ingredient - goat's milk
Region of origin - Berry
Color - bluish gray
Taste - a sour taste when fresh, becoming nutty as the cheese matures
Texture - quite pliable with a harder exterior
Best accompaniments - Its pliability makes it work as a spread on bread and toast. It is also a good accompaniment with the traditional wine of Valençay.
Other points - This cheese is quite recognizable due to its pyramidal shape with a flattened top. Also, it's a seasonal cheese, with no production in the months of January and February.
(Translation - How do you govern a nation that has 246 varieties of cheese?)
"S'il qui mange du fromage, s'il ne fait, il enrage." - French proverb
(Translation - The one who does not eat cheese, is always in a state of turbulence.)
"Fromage et pain est medicin au sain." - French proverb
(Translation - Cheese and bread are medicine for health.)
"Un repas sans fromage comme un journée sans soleil." - French proverb
(Translation - Any meal without cheese in it is like a day without the sun in it.)
If nothing else, the above quotes must indicate how deeply ensconced cheese is in the lives of Frenchmen. Fromage, as the people there call it, is a very deep part of their daily lives. Though the Charles de Gaulle quote indicates that there were 246 varieties of cheeses in France in his time, today probably there are 500 varieties. Throughout its evolution, the French society, both rural and urban, both serfdom and royal, have created and perfected several varieties of this velvety smooth dairy product. Almost all the French cheeses have become great exports to other countries, notably England, and the drool is still spreading to every part of the world.
So while we are willingly getting conquered by the great French drool, let us apprise ourselves of some of the things about French cheeses. Sure you must get confounded when you see all the yellow, orange, red, blue and green cheeses in the superstores? Well, read this, and the confusion will be greatly lessened.
Here's a list of some of the most popular French cheeses available worldwide and some basic descriptions on them.
Beaufort
Original ingredient - cow's milk
Region of origin - Savoy
Color - pale yellow
Taste - sharp tangy taste
Texture - a hard, easy to cut texture
Best accompaniment - white wine and salmon
Other points - This cheese is quite similar to holed cheeses like Gruyère, Comte and the Swiss Emmental in its taste. It is a favorite cheese for fondue recipes.
Blue d'Auvergne
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Auvergne
Color - dark creamy with blue markings, brown rind
Taste - sharp pungent, but buttery
Best accompaniment - sweet and strong wines, in salads and pastas
Other points - Due to its taste, this cheese is more popular in foreign markets than other French blue cheeses.
Camembert
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Normandy
Color - a dry white rind with a creamy yellow interior
Taste - a milky, melting flavor that lingers in the mouth, external ingredients like cadaverine, citrulline or orthinine may be added to give a somewhat bitter highlighting taste
Texture - soft, creamy and runny. It is hard when fresh, but becomes runnier as it ripens.
Best accompaniment - can be used in many French preparations which does not require much heating. It is also eaten as it is on bread.
Other points - It's taste depreciates drastically when heated. It is similar to Brie cheese in taste.
Comté
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk, specifically the Montbéliard cows
Region of origin - Franche-Comté
Color - dusty brown exterior rind, yellowish interior
Taste - less salty, rather sweet and feels a bit nutty
Texture - can be classified as semi-hard to hard
Best accompaniment - any French cuisine and wines
Other points - This is the most popular cheese produced in France, and is produced with high-grade fermenting techniques.
Neufchâtel
Original ingredient - unpasteurized cow's milk
Region of origin - Normandy
Color - a dry white rind with a yellower interior
Taste - a subtle creamy taste, that is saltier and sharper than that of Camembert
Texture - soft and smooth to the feel, but it has a grainy texture
Best accompaniment - used both in French cooking and eaten raw on bread
Other points - If you find cheese sold in the shape of a heart, you will know it is Neufchâtel. But the American Newcastle cheese is very different from its authentic French version, so if you want the true taste, insist on the French Neufchâtel.
Roquefort
Original ingredient - ewe's milk
Region of origin - Roquefort
Color - white with blue markings
Taste - a combination of tastes actually - begins with a very subtle creamy taste that becomes sharper in the mouth, then gets a smoked punch to it, and finally ends with a salty finish. The blue areas are sharper to the taste.
Texture - not quite hard, but not runny either - a semi-hard texture
Best accompaniment - wine and vegetable dishes
Other points - This cheese is known as the King of Cheeses due to its assortment of tastes. By sheer popularity and amount of production, it is the second ranked cheese in France.
Tomme des Pyrenees
Original ingredient - can be milk of either cows, goats or ewes
Region of origin - Mid Pyrenees and Aquitaine
Color - deep yellow, with orange tinges and it may show a black skin
Taste - creamy, slightly salty
Texture - This is one of the harder cheeses of France, which could require a cheese cutter or a sharp knife to cut.
Best accompaniment - wine
Other points - This cheese is sometimes marketed as the Cheese of the Pyrenees. Even today, the cheese is made using traditional methods.
Tomme de Savoie
Original ingredient - cow's milk
Region of origin - Savoy
Color - grayish brown in the exterior, creamy in the interior
Taste - mildly salty, creamy
Texture - softer than most Tommes
Best accompaniment - as a spreading cheese on bread or toast
Other points - This cheese is a low-fat cheese and that's one reason for its popularity in foreign countries. It is also notable for its thick rind.
Valençay
Original ingredient - goat's milk
Region of origin - Berry
Color - bluish gray
Taste - a sour taste when fresh, becoming nutty as the cheese matures
Texture - quite pliable with a harder exterior
Best accompaniments - Its pliability makes it work as a spread on bread and toast. It is also a good accompaniment with the traditional wine of Valençay.
Other points - This cheese is quite recognizable due to its pyramidal shape with a flattened top. Also, it's a seasonal cheese, with no production in the months of January and February.