How many different French cheeses are there?

In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, “How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?” There is immense diversity within each variety of cheese, leading some to claim closer to anywhere between 1,000 to 1,600 distinct types of French cheese.

What kind of cheeses are made in France?

Bleu : Roquefort (raw sheep’s milk) and Bleu d’Auvergne (pasteurized cow’s milk) are two important French blue cheeses. Their common caracteristic is the added cultures of the mold Penicillium, giving a spotted or veined throughout with a blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold. Typically aged in a cave to control temperature, it has a distinct smell.

Which is the best cheese in the French Alps?

Beaufort is a mammoth, 20 to 70 kilo (45-154 pound) hard, unpasteurized wheel of cheese produced in the Savoie region of the French Alps. There are three categories of Beaufort, and Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage has the strictest regulations and is the most scarce, with only about 15 producers still employing its time-honored production method.

What kind of cheese is made on a farm?

Fermier: farmhouse cheese, which is produced on the farm where the milk is produced. Artisanal: producer producing cheese in relatively small quantities using milk from their own farm, but may also purchase milk from local farms. Coopérative: dairy with local milk producers in an area that have joined to produce cheese.

What kind of cheese is blue in color?

Bleu : Roquefort (raw sheep’s milk) and Bleu d’Auvergne (pasteurized cow’s milk) are two important French blue cheeses. Their common caracteristic is the added cultures of the mold Penicillium, giving a spotted or veined throughout with a blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold.

What is the best French cheese?

The top contender for one of the best French cheeses here is A.O.C. Ossau-Iraty-Brébis Pyrénées, an ancient cheese some say dates back to at least 1000 B.C.E.. A semi-hard, uncooked cheese, Ossau-Iraty is made from raw sheep’s milk, with notable butterfat content.

What are some names of French cheeses?

Some of the popular types of soft French cheeses are: Brie: Brie is the most popular variety of the soft French cheese. There are two types of Brie’s- Brie de Melun and Brie de Meaux . Camembert: This is a popular soft ripened cheese with buttery rich complexion.

How many types of French cheese exist?

There is immense diversity within each variety of cheese, leading some to claim closer to anywhere between 1,000 to 1,600 distinct types of French cheese. French cheeses are broadly grouped into eight categories, ‘les huit familles de fromage’.

What is the oldest cheese in France?

Laguiole is one of the oldest cheese types made in France and it has a tangy, sharp flavor with the delicate hint of the herbs and grasses that the cows eat. It pairs well with apples, pears, crusty artisan bread, sausages and smoked ham.