List of French cheeses facts for kids

Map of major AOC cheeses – the size of the symbol equates to the size of production

France is famous for its many types of cheese! Cheese is a food made from milk, and it comes in all sorts of tastes, textures, and shapes. In 1962, the French President Charles de Gaulle once wondered how anyone could govern a country with "two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese." Imagine that!

There are so many different kinds of French cheeses that some people think there might be between 1,000 and 1,600 unique types. French cheeses are usually put into eight main groups, which are called 'les huit familles de fromage'.

Special French Cheeses: Protected Names

The European Union has rules to protect certain traditional foods, including many French cheeses. These rules are called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). These labels make sure that a cheese is made in a specific place and in a traditional way.

Before these EU rules, France had its own system called Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Now, if a cheese has a PDO or PGI label, it usually doesn't use the AOC label anymore to avoid confusion.

French cheese making is divided into four main types. The PDO, PGI, and AOC rules decide which type each protected cheese belongs to:

• Fermier: This means "farmhouse" cheese. It's made right on the farm where the milk comes from.
• Artisanal: This is made by a producer who makes smaller amounts of cheese. They use milk from their own farm, but they might also buy milk from other local farms.
• Coopérative: This is a dairy where many local milk producers work together to make cheese. Some coopératives make a lot of cheese, almost like a factory.
• Industriel: This is factory-made cheese. The milk can come from local areas, regions, or even all over France, depending on the rules for that specific cheese.

Many French cheeses are protected by French law. Most of them have the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) label, which is the highest level of protection. Some have a less strict but still legal label called Label Régional (LR). A few French cheeses are protected by the European Union's PGI label.

Some well-known cheeses, like Boursin, don't have these special labels. Also, some cheeses that originally came from other countries, like Emmental cheese, might have French versions that are protected.

Cheese seller in France

Other French Cheeses

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Quesos franceses para niños

• List of cheeses
• List of cheesemakers