Cheese School 101 (Photo credit: niallkennedy)By Charlie M Taylor
France is a country with a fierce and iconic reputation for fine food. It has long been the breeding ground for some of the world's top chefs, and constantly raises the bar when it comes to gastronomy and culinary innovation. One of Frances most famous and exquisite exports is its French Cheese. This article will at five of Frances finest cheese, so pour yourself a glass of wine and prepare to have your taste buds teased.
First up we have Bleu du Bocage, a wonderful blue cheese made from goats milk. Each wheel is aged for about three months before it is ready for consumption. It has a moist and creamy texture, and the blue/grey veins that run through it give this cheese a beautiful appearance. This is a cheese that perfectly combines the grassy flavours of the rind with sweet fruity flavours and a peppery kick. The Bleu du Bocage is best served with preserved walnuts and a glass of fine port.
Next up we have a fine Brie, Brillat Savarin. Be warned, this is not the healthiest of cheeses, but it is the most delicious Brie available. Brillat Savarin is a Brie with cream added to it, this gives it the most rich and creamy texture you could imagine. For the best tasting Brillat Savarin, look for the ones aged by Maison Mons.
A personal favourite and cheese board classic is the St Felicien Mons. The St Felicien Mons is a soft and mellow cheese with a buttery flavour. It is named after the small Alpine town from which is was first produce. This is a great all-rounder that can be enjoyed within a well made sandwich, on some high quality crackers, or simply by itself and a nice glass of red wine.
A great and extremely affordable cheese is the Roi de Trefle Camembert, available from Aldi. Although you can purchase this cheese from Aldi, this is fabulous cheese still holds its own against the rest on this list. This is an utterly irresistible soft and creamy cheese, a sure fire winner for all cheese connoisseurs.
Last but not least we have Roquefort, a true French Classic. This sheeps milk cheese is the world's best known blue cheese. Roquefort is a tangy, slightly moist and crumbly cheese, with distinctive green veins that run throughout. It has a tangy and sharp initial taste due to the green mould veins, from there the taste gets mild with sweet and smoky bursts, with a salty finish.
French cheese a lot like many French produce, is a delicacy. Each region and village has something new and exciting to offer. For the best French cheese you really can't beat the stuff you will get in these French villages. Saying that, with the ever growing popularity and awareness in Britain towards fine food and fresh produce, many supermarkets are filling their shelves with more and more exciting foods. Where as in the past you may have had to visit a specialised cheese monger for quality French cheese, you can now purchase cheese online from most major supermarkets.
Charlie Taylor is a cheese monger from Scotland who runs and online cheese shop. When hes not distributing cheese throughout the UK, he likes to write about cheese online!
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