Cheese in FranceThere are the mass-produced products you buy in the hypermarkets - and then there are the small "artisanal" producers. They use local fresh ingredients and traditional techniques to produce something distinctive that helps preserve local crafts, and the culture and heritage of how the area used to eat. There are 22 named French cheeses entitled to use an officially run quality control system known as "appellation d'origine controlée" producing about 500 cheeses from cow, goat and ewe's milk. Maroilles Thick, soft squares of moist cow's-milk cheese with a vigorous tangy flavour and strong bouquet. Camembert Invented in 1790 by a local farm woman Marie Harel near the village of Camembert, this is a soft cheese with a rind and is France's most famous cheese. Made in an area around Neufchâtel-en-Bray, less than an hour from Dieppe. Other cheeses from this region; Brillat-Savarin, Neufchâtel, Petit Suisse. Livarot Also known as 'Le Colonel', Livarot is one of the great rind-washed cheeses of France, with a characteristic reddish-brown crust, a pungent odour and deep, but not overly strong flavour (Normandy). Pont l'Eveque This cheese has been in existence since the 13th century. A soft cheese with a washed rind, strong odour and a clean and pleasant taste (Normandy). Brie One of the oldest cheeses from the Ile-de-France, Brie is a soft, creamy cheese with a white rind and a full, nutty flavour. Munster This cheese from Alsace has a creamy consistency and is made from cow's milk with a pronounced flavour. St Paulin This mild, smooth cheese with its orange rind is made throughout the NorthWest, and is particularly popular in Brittany and the Loire. Port Salut Now made throughout North-West France, this pressed cheese has its origins amongst the trappist monks at Abbeye d'Entrannes in Mayennes. Creamy, mild and characterised by its bright orange rind. Coulommiers About half the size of a Brie de Meaux, this cheese is bloomy, made from cow's milk and tastes faintly of almonds. Emmental Based on the classic Swiss cheese with its large holes, this cooked, pressed cheese should not be rubbery to the touch but have a slightly grainy texture and a fine nutty flavour. Chabicou Outstanding farm-produced goat's milk cheese, usually pyramid or cone shaped, aged for a month or so, when it develops its characteristic, pungent goat aroma. Beaufort A delicious Gruyère-type cheese, made from hard-pressed curds of cow's milk, produced in huge rounds and aged for more than a year, during which time the sides of the cheese become concave. Cantal Classic, huge wheel of mountain cheese from Central France, traditionally made in mountain huts from unpasteurized milk, virtually straight from the cow, curdled (not cooked) and aged for over a year. Reblochon Mild and creamy in flavour and can be bought in flat discs weighing 340g. Bleu de Bresse A famous blue from the Montelimar region, made from goat's milk. Saint-Marcellin This small flat disc of cow's-milk cheese (once made of goat's milk) is made in Isere outside Lyon. Best eaten well aged and runny. Bleu d'Auvergne A blue cheese, slightly piquant with a fresh flavour made in the shape of a flat cylinder. Tomme de Savoie From the slopes of the Alps and the Jura mountains comes this white cheese with a pure, slightly salty taste. Banon This goat's-milk (or mixed goat's and cow's milk) cheese comes from the Banon region and is sometimes wrapped in fresh green or dried brown chestnut leaves and tied with raffia. Fromage des Pyrenees There are two cheeses from the Pyrenees. Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) is a cylinder with a light rind made from ewe's milk. lt has a tang of the soil. The other cheese has a natural black rind covered with plastic or wax. Made from cow's milk, this cheese has a more subtle flavour. Roquefort Roquefort: 'The King of Cheeses', is one of the worlds most famous blue cheeses. It is made exclusively from ewe's milk and is smooth, firm and creamy with a mild piquant flavour. The Seven Families of French Cheese - Chèvre - made from goat’s milk, these are smooth and tangy. "Chévres frais" is from fresh young goat's milk, matured for 3 or 4 days. As they matur they become harder, developing into "Chévres secs" with deeper, stronger flavours. Couturier, Chèvretine, Chèvre de Bellay, Soignon. Valbreso Feta is made in this style, but with sheep’s milk. - Soft-Ripened - Best known for Brie and Camembert and their distinctive, snow-white rind. Claudel, Fleurs de France, Joan of Arc, Louis XIV, Marquis de Lafayette, Martin Collet. - Semi-Hard - These cheeses, with a mild, even nutty flavour, hide a firm, supple texture under their crust. SAFR Port Salut. - Hard - Made in the mountainous regions of France such as the Alps and Jura, these cheeses are very large, with a golden exterior and a pale yellow interior. Grosjean Emmental, Président Emmental, Madrigal. - Blue veined - Distinctive blue-veined cheeses are produced in the mountain regions of France and often aged in caves. Consistency of blue-veined cheeses is allowed to vary from moist and crumbly to dry and creamy. Société Roquefort. - Fresh Cheese - Neither cooked nor cured, these come seasoned, spiced or laced with fruit. - Processed Cheese - A blend of various cheeses, they are mild, meltable and come in a variety of flavors and textures. | 
- Essential web site. 
- French Cheese. 
- La Maison Fromage et des Vins, 1, rue André Gerschell. Tel: 0033 321 34 44 72. Fax: 0033 321 96 41 95. Closed Tuesday. 
- Philippe Olivier, 43, rue Thiers, 62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer. Tel: 0033 321 31 94 74. Fax: 0033 321 30 76 57.