Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 The Ins and Outs of the Fromagerie

Don't get cheesed off at the cheese shop.

The truth is, Charles de Gaulle probably never said that it was impossible to govern a country with 246 kinds of cheese. But France is indeed a country with hundreds – and by some estimates well over a thousand – different varieties of fromage. And that means that navigating a fromagerie can be a bit overwhelming.

Luckily, I've been professionally consuming cheese for over a decade (I live a difficult life), and I'm here to shed some light on the subject.

From how to choose your cheese shop to figuring out what to buy, here are three tips you need to get the most out of your cheese-eating experience in France.
 

1. Choosing a Shop

Not all cheese shops in Paris are created alike. A fromagerie or cheesemonger is a purveyor of cheese, but some will also be affineurs, or agers of cheese. This means that the shop will have an on-site cellar where they finish cheeses to their desired doneness, occasionally rewashing or otherwise transforming certain cheeses. (I recently dove pretty deep into this trade for the BBC thanks to Nathalie Quatrehomme, the daughter of one of France's very first MOF cheesemongers, Marie Quatrehomme).

When you're looking for a cheese shop in Paris, it's always a good idea to look for one who also ages. Not only is this a dying trade that needs to be protected at all costs, but choosing a fromager-affineur as your purveyor will reduce the likelihood that you'll come across over-aged cheese.

Now fellow fans of assertive cheeses might be thinking... what's wrong with an over-aged cheese? I'm here to tell you, as someone who likes cheeses that smell so funky they need their own box in the fridge (and preferably their own fridge): An over-aged cheese is not just a more assertive version of itself. Over-aged Brie smells like bleach; over-aged Epoisses smells like death. 

A cheese is like an avocado. And like the French primeur who asks you when you plan to consume your avocado so that he or she can select the perfect specimen (they also do this for cantaloupes, and it's one of many reasons I can never leave France), a fromager-affineur can guide you towards a perfectly aged specimen.

There are loads of great cheese shops in Paris, but here are just ten of my favorites:
1. Quatrehomme (62, rue de Sèvres, 7th)
2. Laurent Dubois (97, rue Saint-Antoine, 4th)
3. Beillevaire (48, rue des Martyrs, 9th)
4. Fromagerie Goncourt (1, rue Abel Rabaud, 11th)
5. Jouannault (39, rue de Bretagne, 3rd)
6. Fromagerie Fernin (204, rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 10th)
7. Androuet (13, rue Daguerre, 14th)
8. Maubert Market (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Place Maubert, 5th)
9. La Ferme d'Alexandre (19, rue Saint-Placide, 6th)
10. Taka et Vermo (61 bis, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 10th)
 

2. Navigating the Case

Once you've picked your shop, you have tons of choice ahead of you. Luckily, any cheesemonger worth their salt will be able to guide you towards things you are likely to like... as long as you can share your tastes with them!

Bear in mind, firstly, that France is home to cheeses from three different milk types: cow (vache), goat (chèvre), and sheep (brebis). Goat cheeses in France will tend to be less overtly "goaty" than in the U.S. Sheep cheeses will tend to have a lovely, creamy texture thanks to their fat content, but they will also be the most "barnyardy" (aka they make you say, "Ah, yes. A sheep was here.")

Many cheeses in France will be made with raw milk. These cheeses are my favorites and are truest to tradition. (They're also definitely worth trying for any American visiting France, as they're much harder to come by back home.) These will be indicated as being "au lait cru."

In addition to milk types, we can divide French cheeses into five major groups or families:

Fresh cheeses, many of which will be goat cheeses, will be young and creamy, with a milder flavor
Pressed cheeses, or tomme-style cheeses, will usually be quite nutty in flavor, especially when made with cow's milk
Blue cheeses will be some of the most assertive in the case, especially when made with sheep's milk, like Roquefort
Bloomy-rinded cheeses, like Brie and Camembert, will have mushroomy aromas
Washed-rind cheeses, like Munster and Epoisses, will have an orange rind and a funky aroma, with a creamy, earthy center

Many shops will also have transformed specialties, things like goat cheeses rolled in herbs or Camemberts sliced opened and filled with Calvados-soaked apples. There are also 46 cheeses in France protected by AOP, a charter protecting historic products, but this is not necessarily a mark of quality.

My first step in any cheese shop is always to ask two questions:
1. What's in season?
2. What's the house specialty?

You can also cite your favorite cheeses or cheese family and ask for guidance.

In some cheese shops, you may be invited to taste, especially larger tommes, but for smaller cheeses, you'll have to trust the expertise of the people behind the counter!
 

3. Taking Cheese Home

If you've discovered a cheese you love in the France, I have good news for you: You are allowed to bring cheese back to the U.S., even if it's made with raw milk! A few tips, should you decide to bring cheese home.

1. Opt for hard cheeses or whole cheeses. A slice of an oozy Brie won't travel nearly as well as a whole Camembert.
2. Get your cheeses vacuum-sealed. Any cheesemonger will do this for you by wrapping the cheese first in paper and then in a vacuum-sealed bag. The term in French for vacuum-seal is "sous vide."
3. Buy your cheeses at the last minute. Cheese doesn't like being encased in a plastic bag, so I always go to the cheesemonger the morning of my flight (or the night before, for early flights) and cut the cheese out of the bag as soon as I get it home. 
4. Transport your cheeses in your checked luggage. The bottom of the plane is far cooler, and in the vacuum-sealed bag, they won't stink up your clothes!
5. Don't forget butter! While you're at the cheese shop, stock up on raw milk butter, which can also be transported in a sous-vide bag and freezes beautifully.