A journey through the families of amazing French cheese

With more than 1,200 cheeses to sniff, slice and sink your teeth into, cheese-making may just be the only tradition the French take as seriously as their wine

But even for the most die-hard fromage enthusiast, knowing a comté from a cantal can be a daunting task. Fromages de France explains: “In France, every cheese reveals a terroir. Behind every cheese is a dairy tradition. In addition, behind every cheese family is a special process.

“The cheese making technique, the weight, the shape, and finally, the maturation where its flavour is perfected, all depend on the particular quality of the milk and expertise.”

The French take protecting these time-honoured traditions extremely seriously, and like wine, award certain regions and cheesemaking practices with the AOC or AOP (strictly controlled) designation. In a nutshell, this protects the land and producers from copycats and the consumer from anything less than perfection.

Because the complexity of taste, texture, and the production process of each cheese (and region) are enough to fill a dozen encyclopedias, here is a brief guide to ‘les familles de fromage’ to whet your appetite.

Fresh Cheeses

If you don’t subscribe to the philosophy of ‘the smellier the better,’ this category is for you. The softest of the bunch, these cheeses made from cow or sheep’s milk are not mature and contain a high water content which keeps the flavour mild and texture soft. While these normally won’t adorn a post-meal cheese platter, they stand up just fine all on their own.

Try a creamy Jonchée d’Aunis, produced in the southwestern region of Rochefort, in Provence sample a honey, or red fruit adorned sliver of Brousse alongside a glass of sweet wine.

Soft Cheeses

Split into further two groups, these are the à croute fleurie (with natural rind) and à croute lavée (with washed rind). Also known as the “Queen of French Cheeses,” creamy Brie takes its name from the region of its birth, while others such as Camembert, Pont-l’Évêque, Munster and the gooey Mont-d’Or also reign supreme.

Think runny, soft interior with a nutty flavour and a firm, sometimes orangey rind. This cheese has a tendency to be smelled before its seen—have a sniff of Burgundy’s Epoisses if you don’t believe us—but the cow’s milk flavour often vary between strong to those with a more mild taste.

Pressed Cheeses

Another split group, fromages à pâte pressée (pressed cheeses), these full-fat unpasteurised hard cheeses are instantly recognisable by their nutty flavour and firm texture; a result of pressure applied during the aging process to squeeze out moisture.

The buttery Cantal from Auvergne is a standout. It also happens to be one of the oldest cheeses in France, originating in Gaul (now roughly modern France) in 5th century BC. For a slightly sour, sharp, melt in the mouth variety, try Laguiole from the Aubrac plateaus, or the semi-soft, velvety rind of Reblochon from Haute-Savoie.

Fromages à pâte pressée et cuite (pressed and cooked cheeses) are firm enough to hold their own shaved or flaked atop rich dishes. These mountain cheeses often contain holes and the texture crystalizes with age—with these you’ll want to slice off the hard rind before diving in. Try a nutty, creamy Comté from the Jura region paired with a local glass of vin jaune (yellow wine), and a fruity smelling Beaufort from the French Alps.

Goat Cheese—Fromages de chèvre

Goat’s distinctive tangy earthiness and creaminess is a time-honoured cheesemaking practice the French have come to dominate.

According to ‘The Original Chèvre,’ the US campaign for French goat cheese; “France is the country of origin for goat cheese ‘par excellence,’ the product of an expertise developed over centuries of artisan craftsmanship.”

“There are over 3,000 goat cheese producers and France is the number one producer of pure goat cheeses in the world.”

As a general rule, the younger the cheese, the stronger the taste—but Chèvre can often come covered in herbs or other flavours for those who find it a bit too powerful on its own. And for those with a dairy intolerance—there’s some good news. Goat cheese has low lactose content and is also full of friendly bacteria, allowing most to enjoy this beloved French tradition sans problème.

Broken down into further distinctions, there are firm and milder aged types such as Tomme de Chèvre, to spreadable, sour flavoured fresh cheeses like Le Cornilly, to finally softly ripened varieties like Crottin or Florette, whose process often leaves the soft, edible rind slightly fuzzy to the touch.

Blue Cheeses—Fromages à pâte persillées

Not for the fainthearted, blue is without a doubt the strongest and most divisive of the bunch. It’s also the easiest to spot on a cheese platter. The artisanship behind a proper blue cheese requires time and careful skill—fungus (penicillium) is added to the cow or sheep’s milk at the beginning and pumped with air via thin needles during the aging process to bolster growing conditions for the mould.

While unappetising to some, the result is a widely varied, often crumbly, creamy, tangy or earthy flavour best paired with red wine, pear or even made into sauces for meat and pasta.

For those with a milder palate, a good place to start is with a creamy Bleu de Bresse from Eastern France, Fourme d'Ambert from Auvergne or a Bleu de Gex from the Swiss border. For the really strong stuff, try a slice of Roquefort from the Languedoc region.

Processed Cheeses—Fromages à pâte fondue

Last but not least, this group is for easy eating. Mostly found in supermarkets, these picnic friendly cheeses are easily melted or spread. In the French Alps you can try Raclette as a fondue alternative, melted and dripped over a bed of potatoes in between ski runs. For a quick snack, the widely popular cream-cheese like Boursincomes in several flavours like garlic and fine herbs to shallot and chive to spread on bread or crackers.