Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 5 French Cheesemaking Regions You Have to Visit

Turophile travelers, look no further

Hot off the heels of my most recent webinar for Bonjour Paris Live, where I delved into the ins and outs of regionality as it pertains to French cheesemaking, I started to think about cheese tourism. After all, while Paris is home to a host of fantastic cheese shops, there’s something really special about discovering the local cheeses right where they're made. Not only are you enjoying them at their freshest – and before issues of transportation take hold –, but you get the chance to truly understand the local terroir: the landscapes, climate, animals, and, above all, the people that make these cheeses so special.

The word terroir may seem to evoke topography, flora, and fauna, but I’d argue that human traditions are just as important – if not more so – in defining the terroir of a cheese. After all, cheese isn't made in a vacuum. Everything from economics to the presence of the Church to the pastoral traditions of a given region can contribute essential elements to the local cheeses, of which you’ll find over 1,000 in France.

Forty-six French cheeses are protected by AOP, the very same label that means you can’t make Champagne outside of Champagne. These cheeses aren't necessarily better – or worse – than any of the hundreds of other French cheeses out there. That said, they do offer insight into the traditions of a given region.

Depending on the region you visit, you may find that cheeses are stylistically quite similar – variations on a theme, as it were. In other regions, you’ll find loads of variety, with nearly every cheese family and milk type represented. And no matter where you go, you’re sure to find that in meeting the people and discovering the landscapes and animals, you gain a keener understanding of just what makes each cheese so special.

It’s nearly impossible to choose, but if I had to, these are the five regions I think an turophile should find time to visit.

1. Normandy

If you like cow’s milk cheeses with personality, Normandy is the place for you.

Home to 3 million Normande cows – a robust breed descended from Viking cattle brought over in the 9th and 10th centuries with ultra-rich milk – Normandy was long divided into washed-rind territory in the pays d’Auge and bloomy-rinded territory in the pays de Bray. That is until the 19th century invention of Camembert, which soon became so popular as to displace Livarot as the region's most popular cheese.

These days, those visiting Normandy will often find its AOP cheeses offered as part of a four-piece cheese plate. Two bloomies – Camembert and heart-shaped Neufchâtel – are joined by two washed specimens – Pont l’Évêque and Livarot. Normandy’s other cheeses mainly fall into the soft, cow’s milk category and include the Pavé d'Isigny, Crémeux du Mont Saint-Michel, and Pavé d'Auge.

Normandy does boast a few other cheeses, like a handful of tommes and even a few goat cheeses. But by and large, Norman cheeses are of the soft-and-stinky variety.

Don't miss… a visit to the town of Camembert and its producers’ market on Friday evenings.

2. The Loire Valley

If you're a goat cheese fan, look no further than the Loire Valley.