Vallage Triple Cream

This is a French brie-like rich and indulgent triple cream cheese with a decadent melt in the mouth texture and deliciously sweet, buttery taste. The cheese has a light bloomy rind that can be trimmed away to reveal a smooth, velvety centre. Such cheeses are made by adding extra cream to cow's milk, resulting in a very high butterfat content and a rich, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Vallage is in the Champagne region of France but the word can be used more generally for such cheese.

Normandy Tomme

Normandy Tomme or Tomme de Normandie is a semi-hard artisan French pressed cheese from the Normandy region, known for its soft, melting texture, ivory-coloured paste and its fruity, nutty flavour with a hint of acidity. It is made from locally sourced, often GMO-free cow's milk, aged in cellars on wooden boards for several months, developing a thick, grey, rustic rind. Some speak of its mellow, buttery flavour with its subtle earthy undertones.This versatile cheese is excellent on a cheese board with cider, melted on toast or in recipes like gratins and tarts.

Mimolette

Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France it is also known as Boule de Lille after its city of origin or vieux Hollande because it was originally inspired by the Dutch Edam cheese.

Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a cantaloupe melon. It normally weighs about 2 kg (app 4.5 pounds) and is made from cow's milk. Its name comes from the French word mi-mou (feminine mi-molle), meaning "semi-soft", which refers to the oily texture of this otherwise hard cheese. The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning, annatto. When used in small amounts, primarily as a food colourant, annatto adds no discernible flavour or aroma. The grey-coloured rind of aged Mimolette is caused by cheese mites that are added to the surface of the cheese. They serve to enhance its flavour.

Mimolette can be consumed at different stages of aging. When younger, its taste resembles that of Parmesan. Many appreciate it most when it is "extra-old" (extra-vieille). At that point, it can become rather hard to chew, and the flesh takes on a hazelnut-like flavour.

It was originally made by the request of Louis XIV, who – in the context of Jean-Baptiste Colbert's mercantilistic policies – was looking for a native French product to replace the then very popular Edam. To make it distinct from Edam, it was first coloured using carrot juice and later seasoned with annatto to give it a distinct orange colour.

The cheese was known to be a favourite of French President Charles de Gaulle.

In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration in the USA detained about a ton of the cheese, putting further imports to the USA on hold. This was because the cheese mites could cause an allergic reaction if consumed in large quantities. The FDA stated that the cheese was above the standard of six mites per cubic inch. The restriction was lifted in 2014.

Mont des Cats

Mont des Cats was originally produced by Trappist monks. They started producing Mont des Cats cheeses in 1890. The cheese is produced using cows milk from local sources and has a fat content of 50%. While maturing for at least two months the cheese is washed with salted water containing a dye called roucou, made from annatto seeds, which gives the rind its characteristic orange colour. The texture of the cheese is smooth and supple, with occasional tiny holes. The flavour is mild with subtle hints of milk and hay.

Ossau-Iraty

Ossau-Iraty (or Esquirrou) is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Béarn and the Irati Forest in the Basque Country.

It has been recognised as an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) product since 1980. It is one of three sheep's milk cheeses granted AOC status in France (the others are Roquefort and Brocciu). It is of ancient origin, traditionally made by the shepherds in the region.

Production techniques are very much old world methods whereby the sheep still graze mountain pastures and provide the milk, which must be from the breeds Basco-Béarnaise, Red-face Manech or Black-face Manech. This is an uncooked cheese made through pressing. When offered as a farm-produced cheese (known as fromage fermier, fromage de ferme or produit fermier), the AOC regulations stipulate that only raw, unpasteurised milk be used.

Historically, production has been:3,067 tonnes (2003) 60 producers (2003) 8 manufacturers: private industries and cooperatives (1998) 2,045 milk producers (1998)

According to the official description, the cheese crust is yellow-orange to grey and the body color ranges from white to cream depending on how it has been matured. It is smooth, creamy and firm and may have some small "eyes".

Camembert

Camembert is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie, albeit with a slightly lower butterfat content, typically 20% - 25% by weight.

The first camembert was made from unpasteurised milk, and the AOC variety Camembert de Normandie (approximately 10% of production) is required by law to be made only with unpasteurised milk. Many modern cheesemakers outside of Normandy, however, use pasteurised milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations or convenience.

The cheese is made by inoculating warmed cow milk with mesophilic bacteria, then adding rennet and allowing the mixture to coagulate. The curd is then cut into roughly 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes, salted and transferred to low cylindrical camembert moulds. The moulds are turned every 6-12 hours to allow the whey to drain evenly from the cut curds; after 48 hours, each mould contains a flat, cylindrical, solid cheese mass weighing generally 250 grams (c 9 oz). At this point the fresh cheese is hard, crumbly and bland.

The surface of each cheese is then sprayed with an aqueous suspension of the mould Penicillium camemberti and the cheeses are left to ripen for a legally required minimum of three weeks. This affinage produces the distinctive bloomy, edible rind and characteristic creamy interior texture. Once the cheeses are sufficiently ripe, they are wrapped in paper and may be placed in wooden boxes for transport.

Camembert was reputedly first made in 1791 by Marie Harel, a Normandy farmer, following advice from a priest from Brie. She is credited with having refined a previously existing cheese recipe from the Pays d'Auge region and having launched it into the wider world. She passed her secrets on to her daughter, whose husband, Victor Paynel, presented one of his wife's best cheeses to Napoleon III, who gave to it his royal seal of approval.

The origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialisation of the cheesemaking process at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel, devised the wooden box that was used to carry the cheese and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America, where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.

Before fungi were understood, the colour of Camembert rind was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards, the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard.

The cheese was famously issued to French troops during World War I, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature, and history. It is now internationally known and many local varieties are made around the world.

The variety named Camembert de Normandie was granted a protected designation of origin in 1992 after the original AOC in 1983. The AOC Camembert can only be made from raw, unpasteurised milk from Normandes cows. Problems with hygiene regulations have caused restrictions on importation and sale in some countries, notably the US; a variant made from pasteurised milk is sold in these territories instead.

Camembert cheese gets its characteristic odour from many compounds. These include diacetyl (buttery flavouring for popcorn), 3-methylbutanal, methional (degradation product of methionine), 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octen-3-one (degradation products of fats), phenethyl acetate, 2-undecanone, δ-decalactone, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid, as well as volatile sulphur compounds such as S-Methyl thioacetate.

Overripe camembert contains an unpleasant, excessive amount of ammonia, which is produced by the same microorganisms required for ripening.

Brie and Camembert are two similar soft cheeses that are both made from cow's milk. Despite their similarities, there are notable differences between them, including their origin, market shape, size and flavour.

Brie originates from the Brie while camembert comes from Normandy. Traditionally, Brie was produced in large wheels measuring either 22.9 cm (9 in) or 36.8 cm (14.5 in) in diameter. As a result, Brie takes longer to ripen compared to the smaller Camembert cheeses. When sold, Brie is typically cut into segments from the larger wheels, although some variations of Brie are sold as small, flat cylinders. Consequently, the sides of Brie segments are not covered by the rind. On the other hand, Camembert is ripened as a small round cheese measuring 10.2 cm (4 in) in diameter by 3.2 cm (1.26 in) in thickness, and it is fully covered by its rind. This difference in size and rind coverage gives Camembert a slightly stronger flavour compared to Brie ripened for the same duration. Once the rind is cut on Camembert, it typically emits a more pungent aroma than Brie.

In terms of taste, Camembert has a stronger, slightly sour, and sometimes chalky flavor. The texture of Camembert is also softer than that of Brie. When warmed, Camembert becomes creamier, while Brie retains more of its structure when heated. These variations contribute to the contrasting characteristics of the two cheeses.

Typically camembert tends to be sold whole in thin, round, wooden containers made from poplar. Modern variations in packaging include cartons and tin cans, with a ring-pull tab for opening (Camembert in metallic boxes does not exist on the French market). The cardboard boxes are reserved for the low-cost camemberts. The product is the same as in the wooden container, wrapped dry in a paper/foil wrapper, and not immersed in brine or oil.

Recently, markets and grocers have introduced a vegan alternative to Camembert cheese which is plant-based.

A similar cheese is produced in Hungary under the same name, the Czech Republic under the name Hermelín and in Slovakia as encián or plesnivec. A Camembert-type cheese is also manufactured in Cornwall and marketed as "Cornish Camembert". Fonterra in New Zealand make a variant called Camembert Log. This is a long cylinder that is about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and weighs 1 kg (2 lb). Fonterra also make conventional Camembert cheeses under their Mainland, Anchor and Kapiti brand names.

Port Salut

Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurised cow's milk cheese from Pays de la Loire, France, with a distinctive orange rind and a mild flavour. The cheese is produced in wheels approximately 23 cm (9 inches) in diameter, weighing approximately 2 kg (4.4 lb).

Though Port Salut has a mild flavour, it sometimes has a strong smell because it is a mature cheese. The smell increases the longer the cheese is kept; this does not affect its flavour. It can be refrigerated and is best eaten within two weeks of opening.

The cheese was developed by Trappist monks during the 19th century at Port-du-Salut Abbey in Entrammes. The monks, many of whom had left France during the French revolution of 1789, learned cheese-making skills to support themselves abroad and brought those skills back upon their return after the Bourbon Restoration. The name of their society, "Société Anonyme des Fermiers Réunis" (SAFR), later became their registered trademark, and is still printed on the wheels of Port Salut cheese.

In 1873, the head of the abbey came to an agreement with a Parisian cheese-seller granting exclusive rights of distribution and purchases of the cheese soon began to increase. The abbey sought trade protection and eventually sold the rights to the Bel Group in 1950. The cheese is now produced in a factory, with the characteristic smooth rind now the result of a plastic-coated wrapper. When made of wax the rind may be edible but can detract from the flavour of the cheese.

Handmade Port Salut cheese or "Entrammes" cheese is still produced by various monasteries throughout the French countryside.

Comté

Comté is a French cheese made from unpasteurised cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine. Comté has the highest production of all French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) cheeses, at around 66,500 tonnes annually. It is classified as an Alpine cheese.

The cheese is made in discs, each between 40 cm (16 in) and 70 cm (28 in) in diameter, and around 10 cm (4 in) in height. Each disc weighs up to 50 kg (110 lb) with an FDM around 45%. The rind is usually a dusty-brown colour and the internal paste, pâte, is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is mild and slightly sweet.

Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into large copper vats where it is gently warmed. Each cheese requires up to 600 lites of milk. Rennet is added, causing the milk to coagulate. The curds are then cut into tiny white grains that are the size of rice or wheat which are then stirred before being heated again for around 30 minutes. The contents are then placed into moulds and the whey is pressed out. After several hours the mould is opened and left to mature in cellars, first for a few weeks at the dairy, and then over several months elsewhere.

The manufacture of Comté has been controlled by AOC regulations since it became one of the first cheeses to receive AOC recognition in 1958, with full regulations introduced in 1976. The AOC regulations for Comté prescribe:

• Only milk from Montbéliarde or French Simmental cows (or cross breeds of the two) is permitted.
• There must be no more than 1.3 cows per hectare of pasture.
• Fertilisation of pasture is limited, and cows may only be fed fresh, natural feed, with no silage.
• The milk must be transported to the site of production immediately after milking.
• Renneting must be carried out within a stipulated time after milking, according to the storage temperature of the milk.
• The milk must be used raw. Only one heating of the milk may occur and that must be during renneting. The milk may be heated up to 56C / 133F.
• Salt may only be applied directly to the surface of the cheese.
• A casein label containing the date of production must be attached to the side of the cheese, and maturing must continue for at least four months.

No grated cheese could be sold under the Comté name between 1979 and 2007. In 2005 the French Government registered 175 producers and 188 affineurs (agers) in France.

Each cheese is awarded a score out of 20 by inspectors, according to 'overall appearance' (up 1 point), 'quality of rind' (1.5), 'internal appearance' (3.5), 'texture' (5), and taste (9). Those scoring >14 points, called Comté Extra, are given a green casein label with the recognizable logo of a green bell. Those cheeses scoring 12-14 points are given a brown label and are simply called Comté. Any cheese scoring 1-2 points (out of a possible 9) for taste, or <12 overall is prohibited from being named Comté and is sold for other purposes.

Comté is well known for its distinct terroir: it is made in 160 village-based fruitières (cheese-making facilities) in the region, owned by farmers who bring their own milk from their cows; strict production rules linking place and product; and the seasonal environmental effects. Comté cheeses go through the process of "jury terroir", where panels of trained volunteer tasters from Comté supply chain and from the region discuss and publish bi-monthly in the newsletter Les Nouvelles de Comté about the taste and their results. This jury terroir was created by Florence Bérodier, a food scientist, to elaborate in response to a set of formidable challenges that Comté cheese underwent in the beginning for its unfamiliar taste and smell. "The jury terroir is there to speak of all the richness in the tastes of a Comté…" – the original member confirmed. For Comté cheese to be world-renowned, the quality improved, but the challenge stand still to create a uniform taste, which was impossible to achieve since there were 160 different fruitières specializing. But through the process of jury terroir, people came to focus on communication among the tasters, which improved their ability to perceive and gained in value. They acquired a general culture that enabled them to describe and exchange the taste of Comtés.

Brie

Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern département of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mould. The rind is typically eaten, with its flavour depending largely upon the ingredients used and its manufacturing environment. It is similar to Camembert, which is native to a different region of France. Brie typically contains between 60% and 75% butterfat, slightly higher than Camembert.

"Brie" is a style of cheese, and is not in itself a protected name, although some regional bries are protected. It may be produced from whole or semi-skimmed milk. The curd is obtained by adding rennet to raw milk and warming it to a maximum temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F). The cheese is then cast into moulds, sometimes with a traditional perforated ladle called a pelle à brie. The 20 cm (8 in) mould is filled with several thin layers of cheese and drained for approximately 18 hours. The cheese is then taken out of the moulds, salted, innoculated with cheese culture (Penicillium candidum, Penicillium camemberti or Brevibacterium linens), and aged in a controlled environment for at least four or five weeks.

If left to mature for longer, typically several months to a year, the cheese becomes stronger in flavour and taste, th e pâte drier and darker, and the rind also darker and crumbly, and it is called Brie noir.Overripe brie contains an unpleasantly excessive amount of ammonia, produced by the same microorganisms required for ripening.

A 30 gramme serving of brie contains 101 calories (420 kJ) and 8.4 grams of fat, of which 5.26 grammes are saturated fat. Brie is a good source of protein; a serving of brie can provide 5-6 grammes of protein. Brie contains a good amount of vitamins B12 and B2.

There are now many varieties of brie made all over the world, including plain brie, herbed varieties, double and triple brie and versions of brie made with other types of milk. Indeed, although brie is a French cheese, it is possible to obtain Somerset and Wisconsin brie. The French government officially certifies only two types of brie, Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun. Some varieties of brie cheese are smoked.

Roquefort

Roquefort, a well known blue cheese, is made using sheep milk in Southern France. Similar items are produced elsewhere but EU law says only those aged in the natural Combalou caves, Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may be called Roquefort. It is a recognised geographical indication or has a protected designation of origin.

White, tangy, creamy and slightly moist, it has distinctive veins of blue mould and a characteristic fragrance and flavour with a notable taste of butyric acid. The blue veins provide a sharp tang. It has no rind; the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs 6 or 7 lb and is about 4 inches thick. Each kilo of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk to produce. In France, Roquefort is often called "King of Cheeses" or the "Cheese of Kings", although so are others.

Legend has it that it was discovered when a youth, eating his lunch of bread and ewes' milk cheese, saw a beautiful girl in the distance, abandoned his meal in a nearby cave and ran to meet her. When he returned a few months later, the mould (Penicillium roqueforti) had transformed his plain cheese into Roquefort.

In 79 AD, Pliny the Elder praised the cheeses of Lozère and Gévaudan and reported their popularity in ancient Rome. In 1737, Jean Astruc suggested this was a reference to an ancestor of Roquefort. The theory was widely taken up, and by the 1860s was being promoted by the Société des Caves. Others have dismissed the idea, as Pliny does not clearly identify a blue cheese and so he could be referring to fromage frais, cheese pickled in grape-juice or even fondue.

By the middle ages, Roquefort had become a recognised cheese. On 4 June 1411, Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening it to the people of R-sur-S, as they had been doing for centuries.

By 1820, Roquefort was producing 300 tonnes a year, a figure that steadily increased throughout the next century so that by 1914 it was 9,250 tonnes.

In 1925, the cheese was the recipient of France's first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée when regulations controlling its production and naming were first defined.

In 1961, in a landmark ruling that removed imitation, the Tribunal de Grande Instance at Millau decreed that, although the method for its manufacture could be followed across the south of France, only cheeses ripened in the natural caves of Mont Combalou, Roquefort-sur-Soulzon were permitted to bear the name Roquefort.

The mould that gives Roquefort its distinctive character is found in the soil of the local caves. Traditionally, cheesemakers extracted it by leaving bread in the caves for six to eight weeks until it was consumed by the mould. The interior of the bread was then dried to produce a powder. In modern times, the mould can be grown in a laboratory, allowing greater consistency. The mould may either be added to the curd or introduced as an aerosol through holes poked in the rind.

Roquefort is made entirely from the milk of the Lacaune breed. Prior to AOC regulations in 1925, a small amount of cow's or goat's milk was sometimes added.

The cheese is produced throughout the Département of Aveyron and part of the nearby départements of Aude, Lozère, Gard, Hérault and Tarn.

As of 2009, there are seven Roquefort producers. The largest-volume brand by far is Roquefort Société made by the Société des Caves de Roquefort (a subsidiary of Lactalis), which holds several caves and opens its facilities to tourists, It accounts for around 60% of all production. Roquefort Papillon is also a well-known brand. The five other producers, each hold only one cave, and are Carles, Gabriel Coulet, Fromageries occitanes, Vernières and Le Vieux Berger.

Around three million were made in 2005 making it, after Comté, France's second-most-popular cheese.

Production of Roquefort involves 4,500 people who herd special ewes on 2,100 farms producing milk in a carefully defined oval grazing area across the Larzac Plain and up and down nearby hills and valleys. Total production in 2008 of about 19,000 tons was reported. The proportion of Roquefort exported to the USA remains small (450 tons out of 3,700 tons in total exports). Spain (with purchases of 1,000 tons) was by far the largest foreign customer.

The regional cuisine in and around Aveyron includes many Roquefort-based recipes for main-course meat sauces, savoury tarts and quiches, pies and fillings.

Contrary to popular belief, Penicillium roqueforti does not produce penicillin. However, due to the presence of other anti-inflammatory proteins, it was common in country districts for shepherds to apply it to wounds to avoid gangrene.

The Appellation d'origine contrôlée regulations that govern the production of Roquefort have been laid down over a number of decrees by the INAO. These include:

1. All milk used must be delivered at least 20 days after lambing has taken place.
2. The sheep must be on pasture, whenever possible, in an area that includes most of Aveyron and parts of neighbouring départements. At least 75% of any grain or fodder used must be local.
3. The milk must be whole, raw (not heated above 34 °C) and unfiltered except to remove microscopic particles.
4. The addition of rennet must occur within 48 hours of milking.
5. The Penicillium roqueforti used must be produced in France from the natural caves of R-sur-S.
6. The salting process must be performed using dry salt.
7. The whole process of maturation, cutting, packaging and refrigeration must take place in the commune of R-sur-S.