The Eight Types of Cheese in France

Les huit Familles de Fromage

In France, cheese is traditionally grouped into eight categories, known as the eight families of cheese. They need a lot of categories because there are a lot of cheeses. It is said that there are so many different types of cheese in France that even if you ate a different one each day, you still wouldn't have tasted all of them after a year!

With all of these varieties, there is a lot you could learn about French cheese, but the most important thing is to pull up a chair and start tasting. Here is an introduction to the eight families to get you started.

I. Fresh Cheeses (Fromages Frais)

These are not the types of cheese you would see offered on a cheese platter at a French meal. Rather they are eaten separately, sometimes in the same manner as a yogurt, and sometimes used in recipes. Some popular varieties of French fresh cheeses are:

• Petit Suisse - Adored by children. Often sold sweetened with sugar and fruit flavors or you can add these things yourself.
• Brousse - A fresh cheese from Provence. Sometimes served with salt, but also served similarly to a petit suisse.

II. Soft Cheeses with Natural Rind
(Les Fromages à Pâte Molle et à Croûte Fleurie)

• Brie - You should have no problem finding this cheese in a North American grocery store. It comes from the area just outside of Paris, specifically from the towns of Melun, Meaux and Coulommiers.
• Camembert - Made in Normandy with raw cow's milk, this cheese is sold in little wooden boxes. It should be eaten when it is creamy and light yellow, not runny. However, I have seen some French people exclaim in gastronomic delight over an oozing Camembert which I couldn't touch because of the ammonia smell.

III. Soft Cheeses with Washed Rind
(Les Fromages à Pate Molle et à Croute Lavée)

• Munster - Infamous for its smell and intense taste, Munster is made in the Alsace region of France. The rind, which has been washed in beer, is reddish brown and slightly humid, whereas the cheese itself is pale yellow.
• Pont l'Eveque - Another strong smelling cheese, this time from Normandy. It comes in squares and has an orangey rind that should not be grey or hard.

IV. Pressed Cheeses (Fromages à Pate Pressée)

During the aging, they are washed, brushed and turned so that the rind forms in a uniform fashion. You will find a large variety of pressed cheeses in the French supermarket. Two very popular varieties are:

• Cantal - This is purportedly the oldest cheese in France. It comes from Auvergne where they have been making it for more than two thousand years! It is pressed two times during the cheese-making process and is sold either young (ripened for one or two months) or old (ripened for more than six months). As it ages, the rind thickens and forms veins into the cheese.
• Ossau-Iraty - This is a pressed cheese made in the Pyrenees from goat's milk. It has a pronounced taste and can be enjoyed at the end of a meal, perhaps with a wine from the same region. It is one of my personal favorites.

V. Pressed and Cooked Cheeses
(Fromages à Pate Pressée et Cuite)

• Emmental - This cheese is made everywhere in France and you can always find it in the grocery store. If you buy it by the piece, you will see that it has holes and is similar in taste to what Americans call Swiss cheese. It is frequently sold grated and ready to be used to top a pizza or other dish requiring melted cheese.
• Gruyère - This cheese is similar to Emmental but has a slightly more pronounced flavor. It too is sold by the piece or grated.

VI. Goat Cheese (Fromages de Chèvre)

Sometimes the goat's milk is mixed with cow's milk to create a mi-chevre. Pur chèvre contains only goat's milk. Goat's milk cheese is fun - it comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and sometimes special little boxes. Two popular ones are:

• Crottin de Chavignol - This cheese comes from Sancerrois. It is sold in small flattened balls and gains in taste as it ages. You could serve it hot, perhaps as part of a salad.
• Pouligny-Saint-Pierre - Comes from the region of Berry. It is sold in a small pyramid that has been cut off at the top. Worth enjoying just for it's fun shape.

VII. Blue Cheeses (Fromages à Pate Persillées)

Blue cheeses are ripened a long time and have a strong flavor and smell. They make a great cheese to offer as part of a cheese platter after the main course. Some of the well known varieties are:

• Bleu de Bresse - Sold in small cylinders, this blue cheese is creamy with subtle blue veins.

• Roquefort - This famous cheese comes from the south-west of France. Made entirely from sheep's milk, it has a lot of blue veining and a very pronounced taste. The best season to enjoy roquefort is from September to March.

VIII. Processed cheeses (Fromages à Pate Fondue)

It doesn't stop there!

So now that you've had a tour of the eight families, you might think you've come to the end of the cheeses eaten in France. But no! The French love cheese from all over the world, particularly Italian, Swiss and English cheeses. Have a look at my French Cheese Store to learn more about some of our favorite cheeses.

Fondue

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