The world of French cheese doesn’t begin and end with Brie! Charles de Gaulle famously said that it was impossible to govern a country with 246 kinds of cheese, and seeing as we now have over a thousand, there are more than enough fromages for the discerning turophile to sample. Here are our five must-tries for your next trip.
1. Chèvre frais
Goat cheese or fromage de chèvre is a delicious treat any time of year, but springtime is prime goat cheese season and the perfect time to sample chèvre frais, or fresh goat cheese. Chèvre frais is aged just a handful of days, for a cheese that’s super creamy and light – perfectly paired with a Provençal rosé.
2. Camembert de Normandie
Legend has it that Camembert got its start when a Parisian priest, fleeing the guillotine, shared the recipe for his local cheese – Brie – with a Norman woman. She ostensibly used the recipe with the milk of local Norman cows and the molds for local Livarot cheese and came up with this delicious, slightly stinky cheese you’ll find in the fridge of nearly every French family.
Camembert de Normandie is one of 46 French cheeses boasting an AOP, which protects its integrity. Choose raw milk (lait cru) Camembert for a gustatory experience unlike anything you’d find back home, where pasteurized is the norm.
3. Vieux Comté
Comté is regularly voted France’s favorite cheese, and for good reason: this hard Alpine cheese boasts a deliciously rich, fruity flavor that becomes nuttier and butterier with time. While Comté can be sold starting at three months, seek out aged versions (24-41 months) for the best flavor experience.
4. Bleu d’Auvergne
Even if you’re not sure you love blue cheese, bleu d’Auvergne is worth a taste. This relatively mild cow’s milk blue may have been the first blue cheese ever made in France and is particularly tasty on German- or Danish-style whole rye kernel bread.
5. Chaource
Rich doesn’t even begin to describe buttery Chaource, a double-cream, bloomy-rinded cheese made in the Champagne and Burgundy regions. Similar to double-cream Brie, Chaource boasts a mushroomy aroma and an unbeatably creamy texture that makes it the perfect pair for Champagne.