French cheeses and their types. Top 10 French Cheeses

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Cheese is the pride of France. They are known all over the world for their unsurpassed taste and aroma.

In French, the word for "cheese" sounds like "le fromage" (or in the original - le fromage). It is believed that it comes from the distorted "formage", that is, "formation" or "shaping". And this is no accident. After all, the layout of the curd mass, which is formed as a result of coagulation of milk, into molds is a very important step in the manufacture of real cheese.

Today, more than 500 types of this dairy product are produced in France. And each of them is unique in its own way. French cheeses can be soft or hard, young or aged, hard or moldy, goat or cow milk.

However, experts are surprised not only by the variety of types of this product, but also by the incredible number of its forms. So, French cheeses, photos of which are presented in this article, are produced in the form of circles, disks, rectangles, drums, squares, standing and lying cylinders, ingots, cones, hearts and triangles.

Why is this product not produced in one single form? The fact is that all French cheeses have their own personal history, life and even character. For example, cheeses such as Brie and Camembert are always made in the form of a disk. After all, it is in this form that the product ripens evenly and turns out to be very tasty.

Features of names

All French cheeses have not only their own character and individual history, but also a unique name. Moreover, each product has the AOC label. It means that this variety has Appellation d’origine contrôlée, that is, the Original Controlled Name, which can only be assigned to those cheeses that meet all the requirements of the current legislation.

Thus, any kind of French cheese should be made only from high-quality raw materials, that is, milk. Moreover, the entire process of making the product must strictly comply with local established recipes and traditions.

Cheese, which has the corresponding French name, can only be produced in the region of France where it was historically prepared.

The first AOC was awarded to Roquefort in 1925 and the last to Rigotte de Condret in 2009.

Classification

Each state has its own classification of cheeses with its own system and terminology. But most of this product can be easily identified in groups, based only on its structure, types of crusts and the principle of formation, on which the amount of moisture in the cheese (or so-called whey) depends.

Based on this system, cheeses from France can be divided into types such as:

• fresh;
• fresh aged;
• soft white;
• semi-soft;
• hard;
• blue;
• flavored.

It is impossible not to say that a particular French cheese recipe may include either cow's, or goat's, or sheep's milk. In addition, this product can be produced on private farms or industrially.

Fresh cheeses

To understand the differences between different types of French cheeses, you should consider them in detail.

Fresh cheeses are quite easy to distinguish from other varieties. After all, they have a white and shiny surface. This product does not have a peel. As a rule, it is ready to use within a few days or even hours after production.

Fresh cheeses barely have time to develop the aroma of the raw materials used in them. Their taste is usually described as sweetish, milky, sour or refreshing.

French soft cheese Boulette de Cambrai is a fresh cheese. It has a high moisture content. Because of this, it becomes soft. It is made from cow's milk with the addition of parsley, tarragon, chives and other herbs.

The consistency of fresh cheeses can be loose, crumbly or stringy. However, often such a product is made in solid form and resembles butter.

Use fresh cheese by spreading on crispy bread. In addition to it, a light fruity wine is served.

Aged fresh cheeses

Unlike freshcheeses, this type matured and dried in cellars with a special regime of humidity and temperature or in special chambers. As a result of this treatment, the product is covered with a crust of yeast and mold.

The most famous representatives of this species are cheeses produced in the Loire Valley. As a rule, they are made from goat's milk with the addition of fragrant herbs and spices. Such cheeses are wrapped in chestnut or vine leaves, on the surface of which mold forms.

Traditional French goat cheese Saint-Maur de Touraine is a cheese making classic. Its surface, sprinkled with ash, is covered with fluffy white mold, as well as spots of yellow, pink and gray pigments. In the process of growth, the snow-white mass becomes more and more dense. Over time, the lemon flavor inherent in this product becomes slightly nutty.

White soft cheeses

Cheeses of this type are covered with a white crust and have a texture from granular to almost liquid. They have an unsurpassed mushroom aroma. A more delicate variety of French cheese has a slight hint of young mushrooms and hay, while a firmer and aged one resembles a creamy soup made from wild mushrooms, with a subtle bitterness of dandelion.

This product is made from goat, cow or sheep milk. In addition, often white cheeses are made from the milk of camels or buffaloes, which undoubtedly determines their color.

The crust of this type of cheese can be either brittle, thin and covered with white mold, or thick, velvety. These factorsdependent on product aging and feedstock selection.

Young French cheese with white mold has the consistency of chalk. Although it becomes creamy with age.

The most prominent representative of soft white cheese is Camembert de Normandie. It is customary to serve it with elegant red Côtes-du-Rhone.

Semi-soft cheeses

These types of cheeses are quite different from each other in texture and appearance. They are divided into two groups:

1. Cheese with a dry rind, slowly ripening. Their texture varies from elastic with a delicate nutty sweet taste and thin crust to firm, stringy with a sharp floral taste and a “leather” crust.
2. Cheeses with a sticky orange rind. They have a fairly soft texture. The taste of such a product is sharp and spicy, with hints of smoke.

Gaperon is a prominent representative of semi-soft cheeses. It is produced in the Auvergne from cow's milk. A small hemispherical head of this product weighs approximately 400 g. Gaperone has elastic flesh and a dry, hard rind. During the manufacturing process, pepper and garlic are added to it, which give the product a bright taste. Due to the fact that the cheese is hung by the fire to age, it acquires distinct notes of smoke.

Hard French cheese

Large heads of hard cheese in the form of a large wheel, drum or cylinder are found in almost all countries where cheesemaking is developed. As a rule, they are made from goat, sheep or cow's milk. Peel suchThe product can be either shiny and smooth or rough. As the cheese matures, the aroma and taste of hard cheeses becomes complex. Moreover, a product with a very long maturity becomes grainy and even crunchy.

Comte is a hard cheese. This is a French delicacy. It is produced in the Franche-Comte region, which is located in the east of the country. After production, many farmers send this cheese to large dairy companies for aging. In the cellars, it matures for two years.

The taste of hard cheese depends on how long it has been aged. A fully ripened product may have a sharp taste. As for the young cheese, it remains soft, milky and nutty.

Blue French cheese

Blue mold is a penicillin. Unlike white, it develops not outside, but inside the cheese.

Thanks to blue mold, a huge amount of cheese is created. Most are wrapped in foil to help keep the crust moist and sticky.

Despite the variety of blue cheeses, they all have a sharp and spicy taste, and also have a slight metallic note. The s alt content in these varieties is much higher than in others. The blue mold present in them gives the product not only an unusual color, but also a strong aroma.

Cheese with a wet rind has irregular cavities and mold streaks. As for the varieties with a hard rind, they are denser.

The most prominent representative of blue cheesesis Roquefort. Its homeland is the Southern Pyrenees. In their caves, he matures.

According to legend, this product appeared about two thousand years ago. Carried away by his beloved, the shepherd left his dinner in the form of a slice of bread and a piece of cheese in a cave. He remembered about it only a few days later. When the shepherd returned, he found that a greenish mold had appeared inside the cheese.

Currently, Roquefort is produced with a volume of more than 18 thousand tons per year and is exported to almost all countries of the world.

Slices of this cheese are eaten with bread, added to various sauces, sprinkled on salads and pasta. As a rule, it is served with Sauternes or Port wine. Dessert wines are often served with it. Their sweetish taste hides the sharp and s alty flavor of the cheese, bringing the aroma of sheep's milk to the fore.

Flavored cheeses

In the 16th century, Dutch cheese makers began adding spices to their cheeses. With this they created an unusual mixture of whimsical flavors. French flavored cheeses made today are popular semi-soft and hard varieties that have also been infused with herbs, fruits and other spices.

The most prominent representative of flavored cheese is Boulette d'Aven. To make it, manufacturers use the fresh sediment of Maroy cheese. It is kneaded together with tarragon, parsley, pepper and cloves. After that, the product is shaped by hand, and also tinted with Annatto natural dye andsprinkled with paprika. By the way, it is the last spice that gives the cheese a sharp taste.

Top 10 French cheeses

A French cheese recipe can include completely different raw materials and additives. They determine its taste, color and aroma. The combination of certain ingredients allows you to produce an incredible number of different varieties of cheese, which, in fact, is what cheesemakers do.

It should be noted that the people of France have long formed their personal preferences regarding the presented product. In this regard, we decided to present you the top 10 French cheeses. This rating contains all the cheese classics that everyone should definitely taste.

First place - Camembert

This French cow's milk cheese is perhaps the best. It is universal, and therefore enjoys incredible popularity among fans of this product.

Ease of production, combined with relative cheapness and excellent taste, brings Camembert cheese to the first place in the ranking.

Three place - goat cheese, or Le chèvre

French goat cheese takes a respectable second place. After all, it has a very bright and pronounced taste. This product is ideal for summer toasts and salads. What's more, it bakes well and pairs well with a variety of wines.

Third place - Brebi Basque, or Basque sheep cheese

This is a hard cheese made exclusively from sheep's milk. It is quite fatty, has a pleasant texture, taste and aroma.

Fourth place - Conte

This is a hard French cheese that takes its name from the region where it is produced (Franche-Comté). The cows whose milk is used to make this product are grazed at an altitude of more than 400 meters above sea level. They make it in small quantities at cooperative village cheese dairies. The technology for the production of such cheese has remained unchanged for several centuries.

Comte melts well, so it is often used to prepare gourmet French cuisine (various types of soups and pies, fondue, salads, sauces, etc.). Its fruity undertones and creamy flesh pair perfectly with white meats, fish and dry wines.

Fifth place - grated Emmental

This cheese has become very popular not only because of its extraordinary aroma and taste, but also because of the form in which it is sold. After all, modern housewives do not want to spoil their manicure in order to grate cheese and sprinkle scrambled eggs, pasta or scrambled eggs. That is why grated Emmental was placed in fifth place in the ranking of the most delicious and popular French cheeses.

Sixth place - Saint-Nectaire

This is a French cow's milk cheese that matures in 5-8 weeks. For its manufacture, rennet sourdough is used. Its flesh is very tender and elastic. The cheese has a yellowish color and tastes of hazelnuts, s alt, mushrooms and spices.

As a rule, such a product is sold in the form of a flat cylinder, which has a diameter of 21 cm and weighs1.7 kg. All Saint-Nectaire cheese has a hardened crust.

Seventh place - Cantal

This is a hard cheese native to central France, more specifically the Auvergne region. In its production, very old recipes and technologies are used. It has had AOC status since 1956. This product is produced both at local dairies and on private farms.

The taste of Cantal cheese directly depends on the period of its exposure. For example, a fully ripened product has a rather sharp taste. As for the young cheese, it is very soft, has a nutty and milky flavor.

Such a product requires a worthy accompaniment. Only Burgundy wine is served with it.

Eighth place - Emmental

This product has a spicy and sweet taste with a characteristic piquancy. Large cavities are visible in the section of this cheese. Their presence is explained by the manufacturing process, as a result of which bacteria release carbon dioxide. In some countries, it is called Swiss, since it was in this state that it was first produced.

Combined with cheese like Gruyère, Emmental is used to make fondue.

Ninth place - Reblushon

This is a French soft cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Savoie region at the foot of the Alps. This product has a so-called washed crust. After all, after pressing it is thoroughly washed in brine.

Reblochon was originally made in the valleys of Arly and Tone. Its name comesfrom the verb reblocher, which in French means "re-milk the cow." According to legend, in the 16th century, peasants paid a tax that depended on the amount of milk produced. To reduce the tribute, cows were not milked in the presence of officials. But after the tax collectors left, this process was carried out again. It was from this milk that the peasants made the magnificent Reblushon cheese.

This product is made in the form of a circle that matures for 2-4 weeks. The finished cheese has an orange rind with a thin white coating and sweetish flesh.

Tenth place – Roquefort

This is blue French blue cheese. It is ideal for preparing fresh vegetable salads. In addition, this product is served with toast and white wine. It is made from pasteurized sheep's milk. After a long exposure, the cheese acquires the taste of hazelnuts.

Now you know which top ten cheeses are the most popular among the French. But in addition to the listed varieties, I would like to introduce others. If our ranking had 11th place, then it would, without any doubt, be taken by the French soft goat cheese Sainte-Maur-de-Touraine, which has a s alty-sour taste and nutty aroma. It ripens from 10 days to 6 weeks.

Besides this, I would like to highlight the French soft goat cheese called Chabichu-du-Poitou. It has a specific smell of milk and a strong nutty flavor.

Popular French cheese with an unpleasant flavor

Vieux Boulogne is the stinkiest French cheese thatMade in Boulogne-sur-Mer in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. It is made from unpasteurized cow's milk and matures in 7-9 weeks. The head of this product is square.

Vieux Boulogne cheese is known all over the world for its strong smell. In the fall of 2004, experts from Cranfield University awarded it the status of "the most smelly cheese."