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Getting to grips with French cheese
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By Caroline Cook
07 Aug, 2007 |
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Thirty years on, I can still remember the look of bewilderment on the face of the French exchange student, as she walked into the archetypal 1970s cheese and wine party. I seem to recall that Cheddar figured largely – either in intimidating slabs straight from the supermarket wrapper or paired with a chunk of tinned pineapple perched on a cocktail stick. It was all too much for the girl whose native France can boast of almost five hundred varieties of cheese. Of course we Brits are often equally bewildered, when faced with the groaning cheese trolley in a restaurant or with the overwhelming choice on offer in a fromagerie. Unless you have any strong likes or dislikes it is best to put yourself in the hands of the waiter and have a selection. They will be placed in a circle on the plate with the mildest positioned at 12 o'clock and getting stronger in flavour as you work round in a clockwise direction. Cheese is traditionally served before the dessert in France and is generally eaten with a knife and fork or with bread but no butter. If you are invited to a French home for dinner and have to serve yourself from the cheeseboard, make sure that you do not cut the tip off the wedge-shaped cheeses like Brie or Camembert and take your fair share of the less appealing crust part of the blue cheese. When buying cheese for a picnic or meal in your rental property you are far better off going to a specialist cheese shop than a supermarket. The fromager is usually an expert keen to advise on what you should buy and even if your French is not up to a detailed conversation, you will almost always be able to taste before buying. The five hundred or so cheeses in France can generally be grouped as follows: Fromage de chèvre (goat's cheese)These are often shaped in cones, pyramids, or round slabs, sometimes white, sometimes grey from the ash which they have been wrapped in. Chevre can vary in strength, with those made from raw milk being more vigorous in flavour. The most famous goat's cheese is probably the Crottin de Chavignol which is always full of flavour but becomes even more pungent with age. Fromage à pate persillée (blue cheese)Roquefort with its creamy but complex taste is the most well known of the blue cheeses and is made from ewe's milk. If you prefer a milder, nutty taste try the Fourme d'Ambert made from cow's milk. Fromage à pâte molle (soft cheese)These are moulded or rind-washed and to many people typify French cheese. The popular Brie and Camembert fall into this category. Fromage à pâte demi-dure (semi-hard cheese)These are uncooked, pressed cheeses made from either raw or pasteurized milk from cows or ewes. One of the most well-known is Tomme de Savoie which is said to taste not only of nuts but often grass. Fromage à pâte dure (hard cheese)These are cooked, pressed cheeses which can take more than a year to mature. The most popular include Emmental and Comte. |
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