One thing is sure, very few people in France know the accurate answer, even by far. The truth is that over 1200 varieties of cheese have been identified in France at this point, a dazzling figure. This amounts to 15 different sorts of cheese for every million people, and keep in mind that some regions produce much more than some others. Indeed, if you look it up on the French Wikipedia, no less than 765 varieties are listed.
There is this famous quote by Charles de Gaulle ”How do you rule a country that has 258 different sorts of cheese?”. No idea where the general picked up that info. Yet if I try to calculate the number of cheese sorts I have at least heard about, that would come pretty close. And I’m not even a cheese addict. You must wonder, how can you possibly even memorize over 200 cheese names?
There are specialized cheese shops in France called “fromagerie”, previously known as “crèmerie” where cheese was sold along with milk, butter and eggs. But quite a few French supermarkets actually have a “rayon frais” (fresh product section) for meat, fish and cheese. You can find dozens of types of locally produced cheese, and it is very common that people buy an assortment of several for the week. There is something passionate about that, as it is not a cheap habit.
Cheese is one of four parts of the order of a traditional French meal, after entrée (starter), plat (main course) and before dessert. In the 20th century, most French people used to eat cheese at every single meal, and drank wine to it. Not partaking in that ritual was deemed somewhat eccentric. But even if you didn’t eat any cheese, you still heard about it because all these varieties were a conversation topic for others. That’s how you picked up all the names.
Now about the second part of the question. How many of the varieties can average people tell apart? Well, we didn’t push it as far as having cheese recognition contests. Obviously not the 1200, nor the 765 or 258. However, if you take the 15 most produced sorts as on the map, the number of people able to tell these apart would definitely be very high, especially among older people.
If you are not familiar with French cheese and somewhat wary, my advice would be starting with the Comté, which is the hard type like Swiss Emmental but much better. It has a chestnut aftertaste, and little salt crystals that give it a crunchy feel. It can mature for up to three years. Among the creamy ones, the most delicate is the Brie which tastes very light and fresh. It already existed in the Middle Ages, and was nicknamed “the king of cheeses”. It is typically cut in triangles, but you are supposed to cut the tip off before eating otherwise it brings bad luck.
Now if you are a diehard cheese fan, pounce. France will satisfy your wildest dreams. Most of the French cheese varieties belong to the soft creamy type. Which includes plenty of flowy, stinky ones like the (in)famous Camembert that will impregnate your fridge for days on. Cheese is best kept under a cover called a “cloche” to avoid that. Even if they include mold, the Bleu types or Roquefort are pretty tame. If you really mean business, go for Reblochon, Pont l’Evêque or Coulommiers.
All this food culture was taken for granted in France until recently, but is now under threat. First, producing traditional food is a demanding and ungrateful job that less and less people want to do. Then as everywhere, a growing number of people make all their shopping on the Internet, and fresh cheese is definitely the last thing to order online. During the Covid crisis, sales of cheese have dropped by 60% as cheese makers could no longer cater to restaurants or open air markets. The trade union for dairy products has even called on citizens to eat cheese in solidarity with the producers. So the question is : how many types of French cheese will be around in 50 years?
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