Sweet Dreams are made of Cheese

“Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?” In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle expressed his admiration of cheese during a speech, literally meaning “how can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese? This quote reflects how cheese is deeply ingrained in French daily life as well as its culture of gastronomy.

According to Euronews, the average French purchases 12.5 kilos of cheese annually. Instead of taking the cheese as an appetizer, French people usually enjoy their cheesy moment after the main dish and before the dessert. Many restaurants provide the cheese plate, i.e. une assiette de fromage on their menu. For Parisians, eating cheese is widely acceptable at any time of day.

Cheeses originate from one of three sources of animal milk, which is cow, goat, or sheep. Bear in mind that we should always serve a minimum of three varieties on our board: a soft cheese, a hard cheese, and one blue or goat’s cheese. From the lightest to the strongest flavored. Simply place a small cheese on a bite-sized bread into your mouth. Never spread cheese like butter. 

The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), i.e. controlled designation of origin, is currently implemented to govern the production and protect the authenticity of food closely. While this system was developed in the 19th century for wine, Roquefort became the first cheese to be awarded an AOC label in 1925. Over 40 cheeses have been assigned AOC status since then.

Comté is one of my favorite cheeses, which is a hard cheese from the Jura region of Burgundy. It is made with raw cow’s milk, with a fruity aroma and nutty flavor. Before it can be sold as AOP, it has to be aged for at least four months. On the other hand, Camembert AOP is typically aged for at least three weeks. A ripe one should be soft inside, but not too runny and yellowish.

Besides choosing cheeses based on its production cycles, pairing cheeses with regional wines is another secret for a perfect party, either based on flavours contrast or intensity balancing.

IMG: https://www.verygourmand.com/gb/blog/detail/expression-culinaire-francaise-entre-la-poire-et-le-fromage/