French cheese is a lot like fruit

27 March is National Cheese Day in France (And World cheese Day too!)

Ah French cheese! It’s one of the first things that comes to mind when someone mentions France. It is an industry that is progressing, increasing output each year. Cheese consumption in France has risen 30% over the last few years. National cheese day celebrates artisan French cheese made from raw milk, reminding us to look for cheese beyond the idustrial brands and the supermarkets. On March 27th be sure to pay a visit to your local cheesemonger and support French culture, savoir-faire and art de vivre! There will be special tastings going on all day long.

Cheese is a lot like fruit

Cheese is a lot like fruit: it has to be just ripe, it is seasonal, is best when it is not refrigerator cold, each type has a different way to be cut… Here’s a 1-2-3 of cheese to give some background and how to serve this important part of the French table.

1. What is the origin of the word «fromage» ?

Fromage – «formage» in old French – is derived from the word «forme», meaning shape or mold. Interestingly, many French cheeses are still commonly called by their shape: «pyramid» or «log» for some of the Loire Valley goat cheeses, «crown» for a donut shaped cheese, «wheel», and of course «crottin», best left untranslated…

2. How about the word cheesemonger?

Monger is used with many other words such as iron monger, ale monger, war monger, fishmonger but it is not often used alone. The word has been used for more than 1000 years tracing back to a Latin noun meaning merchant, broker or dealer. Up until the 16th century the term had the simple meaning of a peddler, but after that time it took on a new connotation that was negative and that the peddler called a monger was usually dishonest. It can also refer to a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is petty or discreditable. Think of rumormonger, gossipmonger, scaremonger, and hypemonger. Today the word is used in conjuction with cheese, fish to signify quality!

3. What’s a good number of cheeses to include on a cheese plate?

A cheese plate usually includes 4 to 6 cheeses, all from different regions and different families with different intensities of taste, the idea being to work your way from the lightest and freshest to the most powerful. The cheese platter thus becomes a journey of tastes, smells, shapes and colors, a trip through France (or Europe). Serve cheese at room temperature or slightly cool to prevent sweating the fats out, but not directly out of the fridge. Like with wine room temperature does not necessarily mean the temperature of the room (especially on a summer day!). You can accompany the cheese with grapes, apples, figs, nuts, jam (quince or fig) or honey.

4. What are the cheese families?

There are three major types of milk: cow, goat, and sheep. But within each milk type, there many families mostly dependent on the length of aging. Among goat’s milk cheeses for example one can go from chèvre très frais (very fresh), to frais (fresh), crémeux (creamy), or sec (aged). Here’s a summary of cheese families, but depending on where you look there can be quite a variation on this list of families. The examples are given just to give you a visual.

• Fresh Cheese (fromage frais): A cheese that is eaten without being ripened. They are white, moist and mild. Le petit Suisse, Brousse…
• Soft-Ripened Cheese or Bloomy (à pâte molle et à croûte fleurie): With a short affinage these are cheeses ripen from the outside in, are soft even when chilled and can be runny at room temperature. Brie, Camembert…
• Blue (à pâte persillées): Penicillium roqueforti mold is introduced into the milk during the processing. After a short aging period, the cheeses are poked, allowing air to enter and activate the bacteria and the growth of the blue veining. Bleu de Bresse, Fourme d’Ambert…
• Washed-Rind Cheese (à pâte molle et à croûte lavée): These cheeses are surface-ripened by washing with brine, wine, brandy, beer or other ingredients throughout the aging process. The washing encourages the growth of bacteria and produces pungent, sometimes very pungent, aromas. Epoisses, Munster, Reblochon…
• Uncooked Pressed (Tommes/Fromages à pâte pressée): large, rounds of mountain cheese, can be made of any of the three milks and have a natural rind (they do not receive mold and are not washed, but are brushed and turned). Because they age over several weeks, many of these cheeses are made using raw milk. Cantal, Ossau-Iraty…
• Cooked Pressed (à pâte pressée et cuite): This is a broad category that covers cheeses that may be elastic at room temperature or are hard enough to grate. The cooking and long aging time of alpine style cheeses like Gruyere, Comte or Swiss cheese results in a chewy texture with sweet flavor. Comté, Beaufort, Gruyère…

5. Are there seasons?

Artisan made cheese is seasonal and accordance with milk production and breeding. Cheese tastes differently when the animals eat differently. Some cheeses are made while the animals in the mountain pastures in the summer eating the tender shoots and flowers, or just after the goat kids are weened. During these times fresh fruity creamy cheeses are in season. The animals continue to produce milk throughout the winter but they are often kept in barns or small enclosures where their diet is silage not green grass. Pont L’Eveque and Camemberts, for example, are produced during the winter when the cows feed on a maize diet. Beaufort is made year round, but the alpine wheels (d’alpage) made from spring and summer milk are considered the best. Sheep lamb once a year, so sheep’s milk is generally only available late winter through summer’s end…

6. How to know when a cheese is ripe?

Cheese ripens like fruit, but unlike fruit cheese does not go bad, but simply becomes too ripe. You might notice the flavor is very strong or the smell of ammonia. The date on cheese is the date that it is at its peak, not its expiration date. When you go to the cheesemonger ask what is at its peak that day. Unripe cheese is bland.

7. Is there a special way to cut cheese?

Just as you need to know how to cut a mango it is important to know how to cut cheese to enjoy it the best. When the French cheese platter is passed in a home the invited person serves themselves first. Which means that they get to make the first cuts. How to start? The basic rule is that there needs to be a piece of rind and center on every piece. While some do not eat the rind others love this part as it is often the most flavorful, whereas the center is usually the ripest. All rinds are edible including those rubbed with ash, but some can be bitter or hard. In order to be sure there is rind on each piece a whole round or square cheese should be cut into wedges like a pie. A piece from a larger cheese such as an emmental can be cut across the end in a strip with rind on either end of the strip. Follow this link for diagrams.  Perhaps the most important thing is to have a different knife for every type of French cheese. This avoids getting Roquefort on your Reblochon, but interestingly it is not often that there is a different knife for each cheese on the table neither in a restaurant nor in a home. It is important to taste the cheeses from the mildest to the strongest, so that the strong flavor doesn’t cover the mild one. We’ve heard it said that it is not good etiquette to have seconds from the cheese plate. What is your experience? Please comment below.

8. Why are some cheeses wrapped in foil or leaves?

Many blue cheeses (Roquefort, Bleu des Causses, Bleu d’Auvergne, etc…) are wrapped in foil to prevent them from drying during the long months of aging, enabling the prized blue mold to develop. The «Banon», a goat cheese from the southern Alps, is wrapped in chestnut leaves which gives it a wonderful tang, and preserves the humidity level of the cheese, and its creamy texture.

9. Aside from wine, what other beverages does cheese pair well with?

Wine is not the only beverage to serve with cheese. Think local. Where does the cheese come from and what is the beverage there. A Camembert de Normandie with a nice glass of local apple cider, an alsacian Munster with a cool lager beer, or an aged Italian Pecorino with an old Grappa…

10. Some cheeses melt and others do not

The melting properties of cheeses are due to the chemical make-up of their proteins. Young versus old cheeses or cheeses made with rennet versus cheese made with acids melt differently. Learn about the science.

11. Cheese facts:

• 9% of the French have cheese at least once a week and 47% eat cheese daily
• Cheese products make up 7% of the grocery budget
• A French person consumes 26 kg of cheese per year on average (but believe it or not a Dane eats even more!) Cheese consumption in the world.
• Fresh French cheese makes up about one-third of consumption, followed by pressed cheese for another third.
• Two-thirds of French meals include cheese
• 46 cheeses have appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC)
• 92% is made from cow’s milk, 5% with goat’s milk, and 3% with sheep’s milk
• Cheese was probably invented about 7000 years ago when people became sedentary and raised animals
• France exports 700,000 tons of cheese per year to 150 different countries

12. Read all about collectable Camembert labels

13. Camemebert is a favorite, enjoy this video  

Now try this quiz to test your knowledge (in French)

Speak Easy « Say Fromage » – learn idiomatic fromage expressions.

“Un peuple qui a créé plus de quatre cents fromages ne saurait disparaître. “ Winston Churchill

We know there are many, many types of French cheese available. «How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?» wondered Charles de Gaulle in 1962. In fact today’s leaders have an even bigger task as the number of varieties is actually closer to 1000 with 450 new cheeses on the market in 2014 alone according to the Figaro Magazine. (English wikipedia says 350-450, French wikipedia says 1000 and yet another site says 1600). Here’s a list which we found some years ago on joinusinfrance.net a site which unfortunately no longer exists. (see wikipedia for more details).

Abbaye de Belloc *Abbaye de Citeaux *Abbaye de la Meilleraye *Abbaye de Tamie *Abbaye de Timadeuc *Abbaye d’Igny *Abbaye du Mont des Cats *Abondance *Affidelice *Agour Ossau-Iraty *Aisy Cendré *Aligot *Alpicrème *Amalthée *Ami du Chambertin *Amout *Anneau du Vic-Bilh *Annot *Ardi-Gasna *Arêches *Arnégui *Aromes au Gene de Marc *Aubisque Pyrenees *Aulus *Autun *Aveyronnais *Baguette Laonnaise *Banon *Banon Au Poivre D’Ane *Banon Chèvre *Barberey Cendre *Bargkass *Barousse *Baskeriu *Beaufort *Beaumont *Belletoile *Belval *Berger Basque *Berger de Rocastin *Bergerin *Bergeronette *Bergues *Bethmale *Bibbelskase *Bleu d’Auvergne *Bleu de Bonneval *Bleu de Bresse *Bleu de Chèvre *Bleu de Gex *Bleu de Laqueuille *Bleu de Loudes *Bleu de pays du Malzieu *Bleu de Quercy *Bleu de Sainte-Foy *Bleu de Sassenage *Bleu de Septmoncel *Bleu de Severac *Bleu de Termignon *Bleu de Tignes *Bleu des Basques *Bleu des Causses *Bleu du Haut Jura *Bleu du Velay *Bleu du Vercors Sassenage *Blue de Thiezac *Bondard *Bondaroy au Foin *Bonde de Gatine *Bondon à la Fleur de Sel *Bossons Maceres *Bougon *Boule de Lille *Boulette d’Avesnes *Boulette de Cambrai *Boulette de la Pierre-Qui-Vire *Boursault *Boursin *Bouton d’Oc *Bouysset *Bouyssou *Brebicet *Brebiou *Brebis du Lavort *Brebis du Lochois *Brebis du Puyfaucon *Bressan *Bresse Bleu *Brezain *Bricquebec *Brie *Brie à la Fougère *Brie de Coulommiers *Brie de Meaux *Brie de Melun *Brie de Melun Bleu *Brie de Montreau *Brie de Nangis *Brie Le Rustique *Brie Petit Moule *Brillat-Savarin *Brin d’ Amour *Brin de Paille *Brindamour *Brique de Jussac *Briquette de Brebis *Briquette du Forez *Brisego *Brise-Goût *Broccio *Brousse de Vesubie*Brousse du Rove *Bûche de Chèvre *Buche Maitre Seguin*Buchette d’Anjou *Cabécou *Cabécou de Rocamadour *Cabécou du Périgord *Cabécou Feuille *Cabri Ariegeois *Cabri de Parthenay *Cabridoux *Cabriflore Chevrot Cendré Ash *Cabrigan *Cabrigourmet *Cabrion *Cabrion du Forez *Cabrioulet *Cachat *Caillada de Vouillos *Calenzana *Calva d’Auge *Camembert *Camembert au Calvados *Camembert de Normandie *Camembert Le Châtelain *Camisard *Campénéac *Cancoillotte *Cancoyotte *Cantal *Cantalon *Cap Gris Nez *Caprice des Dieux *Caprinelle *Carayac *Carre de Bonneville *Carré de Bray *Carre de l’Est *Carré du Pére Antoine *Cathare *Cendré d’Aisy *Cendré d’Argonne *Cendré de Champagne *Cendré de la Drôme *Cendré de Vergy *Cendre des Ardennes *Cendré des Riceys *Cendre d’Olivet *Cendré du Beauzac *Cervelle de Canut *Chabichou du Poitou *Chabis de Gatine *Chambarand *Chambérat *Chambertin *Chanteraine *Chanteraine Poivre *Chaource *Charcennay *Charolais*Chaubier *Chaumes *Chavignol *Chécy *Chèvre Figue *Chèvre Long *Chèvres *Chevret *Chevreton d’Ambert *Chevreton de Macon *Chevreton du Bourbonnais *Chevrette des Bauges *Chevrine de Lenta *Chevrotin des Aravis *Chevru *Citeaux *Civray *Clacbitou *Claquebitou *Claqueret Lyonnais *Coeur d’Arras *Coeur de Bray *Coeur de Camembert au Calvados *Coeur de Chevre *Coeur de Neufchâtel *Coeur de Touraine *Coeur et Creme *Colombière *Comté *Couhé Vérac *Coulommiers *Couronne Brie *Couronne Lochoise *Crayeux de Roncq *Crémet Nantais *Cremoulin *Crezancy Sancerre *Crottin de Champcol *Crottin de Chavignol *Curé Nantais *Dauphin *Délice de Bourgogne *Delice de Pommard *Delice de Pommard a l’anis *Délice de Saint-Cyr *Delice des Fiouves *Demi Pont l’Evêque *Demi-Sel *Dornecy *Doux de Montagne *Dreux à la feuille *Echourgnac *Echourgnac a la liqueur de noix *Ecir de l’Aubrac *Edel de Cleron *Emmental *Entrammes *Époisses *Ervy-le-Châtel *Esbareich*Etorki *Excelsior *Explorateur *Faux Vacherin *Fédou *Feuille de Dreux *Figue *Fin de Siècle *Fleur du Maquis *Florette *Fol Epi *Fondant de Brebis *Fondu au Marc *Fondu au Raisin *Fontainebleau *Fougerus *Fourme au Maury *Fourme au Sauternes *Fourme d’ Ambert *Fourme de Haute Loire *Fourme de Laguiole *Fourme de Montbrison *Fourme de Pierre-sur-Haute *Fourme de Rochefort *Fourme de Salers *Fourme du Cantal *Frinault *Fromage à Raclette *Fromage de Campénéac *Fromage de Meaux *Fromage de Ruffec *Fromage de Troyes *Fromage du Cure *Fromage Hansi *Fromager D’Affinois *Fromager des Clarines *Fumaison *Gabietou *Galet de La Loire *Galette d’Astier *Galette de la Chaise-Dieu *Galette des Monts du Lyonnais *Galette du Paludier *Gaperon *Gasconnades *Gastanberra *Gérardmer *Gien *Gour Noir *Gourmandise *Goutu *Gracay *Grain d’Orge Affiné au Calvados *Grand Pont l’Evêque *Grand Vatel *Grand-Bornand *Grataron D’Areches *Grataron de Hauteluc*Gratte-Paille *Gris de Lille *Gruyère de Beaufort *Gruyere de Comté *Gruyère de Savoie *Guerbigny *Hansi affiné à l’eau de vie Poire William *Hansi au Gewurztraminer *Hauteluce *Henri Hutin Brie Couronne *Herbiette *Igny *Istara Ossau-Iraty *Jean De Brie *Jean Grogne *Loudes *La Bergeronnette Fédou *La Bouille *La Brique Fédou *La Brique Président *La Briquette de l’Angoumois *La Roche *La Taupinette *La Taupinière *La Vache Qui Rit *Laguiole *L’Ami du Chambertin *Langres *Lanquetot Camembert *Larron d’Ors *Laruns *Laumes *Laval *L’Aveyronnais *Lavort *Le Berger de Rocastin *Le Brin*Le Carré du Pere Antoine *Le Chartreux *Le Châtelain Camembert *Le Chevrot *Le Coutances *Le Cremier Chaumes *Le Fédou *Le Fromage de Chambarand *Le Grain d’Orge Affiné au Calvados *Le Grand-Mémé *Le Lévéjac *Le Lingot de Quercy *Le Mont D’or *Le Mothias sur Feuille *Le Moulinou *Le Moulis *Le Paillou *Le Roulé *Le Sarlet Chevrefeuille *Le Somport *Le Titounet *Le Trappiste de Belv*L’Ecir d’Aubrac *L’Edel de Cleron *Les Carré du Père Antoine *Les Orrys *Levroux *L’Explorateur *L’île d’Yeu *Lingot Saint Bousquet d Orb *Livarot *Lormes *L’Ortolan *L’Ortolan Legér *Lou Pérac Pérail *Lou Pevre *Lucullus *Lusignan *Machecoulais *Mâconnais *Madrigal *Malakoff *Mamirolle *Margotin *Maroilles *Marolles *Matocq *Mattons *Meilleraye-de-Bretagne *Merveille de Maroilles *Metton *Mignon Maroilles *Mignonet *Mignot *Mimolette *Miniclac *Mont des Cats *Mont D’or *Montbriac *Montoire *Montrachet *Montségur *Montségur Brebis *Montségur Chevre *Montségur Tomme *Morbier *Mothais a la Feuille *Mothias sur Feuille *Moulis *Munster *Munster au Cumin *Munster Gerome *Murol *Nantais *Neufchâtel *Normantal *Noyers-le-Val *Oelenberg *Olivet à la Sauge Olivet au Foin *Olivet au Poivre *Olivet Bleu *Olivet Cendré *Oloron-Sainte-Marie *Orrys *Ortolan *Ossau-Iraty *Oustet *Pannes Cendre *Pas de l’Escalette *Passé l’an *Patay *Patte d’Ours *Pavé Blesois *Pavé d’Affinois *Pave d’Aremberg *Pave d’Auge *Pavé de Chirac *Pave de Moyaux *Pavé de Trouville *Pavé du Berry *Pavé du Plessis *Pavé Sauvage *Pé Descaous *Pèbre d’Ai *Pelardon *Pérail – Lou Perac *Pérail de Brebis *Pérail Monbrenac *Persillé de Haute Tarentaise *Persillé de Thones *Persillé de Tignes *Persillé des Aravis *Persillé du Grand-Bornand *Persillé du Mont-Cenis *Petit Agour *Petit Bessay *Petit Morin *Petit Pont l’Evêque *Petite Bressan *Petit-Lisieux *Petit-Suisse *Pico Picandine *Picodon *Pie d’Angloys *Pierre qui Vire *Pierre-Robert *Pigouille *Pitchounet *Pithiviers au Foin *Pitxun *Poivre d’Ane *Pont d’Yeu *Pont l’Evêque *Port du Salut *Port Salut *Pouligny Saint Pierre *Pourly *Providence *P’tit Basque *Puant de Lille *Puant Macéré *Pyramide *Quart-Maroilles *Raclette de Savoie *Racotin *Ramequin de Lagnieu *Reblochon *Reblochon de Savoie *Riceys *Rigotte de Condrieu *Rigotte de Pélussin *Rigotte de Sainte-colombe *Rigotte d’Echalas *Rigotte des Alpes *Rigottes *Rocamadour *Rochebaron Montbriac *Rocroi *Rocroi Cendré *Rocroy *Rogeret de Lamastre *Rogeret des Cévennes *Rollot *Romans *Roquefort *Roucoulons *Rouelle *Roulé *Rouleau de Beaulieu *Rouleau de Provence *Rouy *Roves des Garrigues *Ruffec *Sablé du Boulonnais *Sableau *Saint Agur *Saint Albray *Saint André *Saint Félicien *Saint Florentin *Saint Marcellin *Saint Nectaire *Saint Paulin *Saint Siméon *Saint-Claude *Sainte-Marie *Sainte-Maure *Saint-Gelais *Saint-Gildas-des-Bois *Saint-Lizier *Saint-Maixent *Saint-Remy *Salers*Sancerre *Santranges *Sassenage *Saulxurois *Savaron *Selles-sur-Cher *Six Pans du Lauragais *Somport *Sorbais *Soumaintrain *St Drean *Suprême des Ducs *Savoy *Tarare *Tardets *Tarentais *Taupiniere *Tetounv *Tignard *Timanoix *Titounet *Tomme Arlésienne *Tomme au Jurancon *Tomme au Marc de Raisin *Tomme Crayeuse *Tomme d’Abondance *Tomme d’Aligot *Tomme de Camargue *Tomme de Lozère *Tomme de Romans *Tomme de Saint-Marcellin *Tomme de Savoie *Tomme des Bauges *Tomme du Mont Ventoux *Tomme Fraîche *Tommette de Yenne *Toupin *Tournon-Saint-Pierre *Tourrée de l’Aubier *Trappe Echourgnac *Trappiste de Belval *Trappiste de Bricquebec *Trappiste de Campénéac *Trappiste de Chambarand *Trappiste de la Meilleraye *Trappiste de Laval *Trappiste d’Echourgnac *Trappiste d’Entrammes *Trappiste d’Igny *Trappiste d’Oelenberg *Trappiste du Mont-des-Cats *Trois Cornes *Troo *Trou du Cru *Troyes Cendré *Vachard *Vacherin *Vacherin d’Abondance *Vacherin d’Aillons *Vacherin des Bauges *Vacherin du Haut Doubs *Vacherin du Mont d’Or *Valençay Fermier *Valençay Laitier *Vendôme Bleu *Vendôme Cendre *Vermenton *Vieux Lille *Vignotte *Villebarou *Ville-Saint-Jacques *Villiers-sur-Loir *Void *Voves Cendre

To learn some new French expressions enjoy the Speak Easy puzzle « Say Fromage ».