French Cheese: Families, AOP Labels and What to Buy

Learn the five and you can predict how an unfamiliar cheese will smell, melt and taste before you buy it.

There is no single count of French cheeses. A famous remark attributed to Charles de Gaulle is about governing a country with 246 varieties, and estimates run between 1,000 and 1,600 types because each variety has so many local versions. This page covers the families, the label that guarantees origin, and what to look for in a US shop. The France country page lists the cheeses in our directory.

French cheese families

French cheese families sort the cheeses by how they are made and ripened, which tells you more than the region does. Five cover most of what a US shop stocks.

Sheep's milk cheeses such as Ossau-Iraty and Roquefort cut across the families, since milk and style are separate choices.

Bloomy rind French cheese

Bloomy rind French cheese is the gentlest place to start, because the white mold on the outside gives a mild, earthy flavor and the inside turns creamy as it ripens. Brie and Camembert are the famous pair, and Brillat-Savarin pushes the style into triple-cream richness. Camembert de Normandie and its Norman neighbors are covered on the Normandy cheeses page.

Washed rind French cheese

Washed rind French cheese is washed with brine or another liquid while it ages, which feeds the bacteria that color the rind orange and make the smell loud. The smell is usually stronger than the taste. Époisses is the best known, and Livarot, Pont-l'Évêque, Maroilles, Munster and Reblochon belong here too. If you are new to the family, a Pont-l'Évêque or a Reblochon is milder than Époisses.

French goat cheese and pressed cheese

French goat cheese ranges from fresh logs to small aged rounds, and the Loire valley is its center. Our chèvre guide covers the styles and how to buy them. Young goat cheese is tangy and soft; the same cheese aged for a few weeks dries out and sharpens.

Pressed cheese is the everyday workhorse. Comté is the Alpine standard, and Cantal and Saint-Nectaire come from the Auvergne, covered on the Auvergne cheeses page. Pressed cheeses slice, grate and melt, so they are the best choice for cooking.

French blue cheese

French blue cheese is salty, and the saltiness is the main thing to plan around. Roquefort is made from sheep's milk and is the sharpest of the common blues. Cow's milk blues such as Bleu d'Auvergne, Fourme d'Ambert and Saint-Agur run milder and creamier, which makes them easier for a first taste. Honey or a sweet wine softens the salt.

What AOP means on French cheese

AOP on French cheese is the label for Appellation d'Origine Protégée, the European Union's protected designation of origin. The EU created AOP as a harmonized system, and most French products with AOC status now carry AOP too. Roquefort was the first cheese given an AOC, in 1925, and the name is restricted to cheese aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. About 60 French cheeses have a protected name (PDO, PGI or AOC).

An AOP means the cheese comes from a defined area and is made by a written method, so the rules differ for each cheese. They can cover the breed of cow, the milk, the aging and the size. The PDO and PGI guide explains the seals in more detail. Not every good French cheese has one: Brie and Camembert are generic words, and only some versions are protected.

Buying French cheese in the US

Buying French cheese in the US comes down to one rule that surprises people: raw-milk cheese must be aged at least 60 days to be sold here, so many soft French cheeses on American shelves are pasteurized. Our raw-milk cheese page explains the rule. The result is that a young soft cheese from France often tastes different in a US shop than it does at home.

Practical habits that help:

• Ask the cheesemonger for a taste and the age of the cut.
• Look for the red and yellow AOP logo when you want the protected version.
• Buy soft cheeses by feel: the center should give slightly, without leaking or smelling of ammonia.
• Buy firm cheeses cut to order, so you get a fresh face.

French cheese mistakes that cost you flavor

French cheese mistakes come mostly from serving it cold. A fridge-cold Brie tastes of little, so take soft cheeses out 30 to 60 minutes ahead. The second mistake is judging a washed rind by its smell: most of them taste milder than they smell, so take a bite before you rule one out. The third is trimming rinds that are meant to be eaten, which on bloomy and most washed rinds is the part with the most flavor.

Questions about French cheese

These questions about French cheese come up most often.

How many French cheeses are there?

French cheese varieties number somewhere between 1,000 and 1,600 by most estimates, with about 60 holding a protected name.

What is the most famous French cheese?

The most famous French cheese is usually Brie or Camembert, with Roquefort and Comté close behind.

What does AOP mean on French cheese?

AOP on French cheese means a protected designation of origin: the cheese comes from a set area and follows a written method.

Which French cheese should a beginner try first?

A beginner should try one French cheese from each family: a Brie, a fresh goat cheese, a wedge of Comté and a mild blue such as Saint-Agur.

Can you eat the rind on French cheese?

The rind on French cheese is edible on bloomy and most washed-rind cheeses, while hard natural rinds are usually trimmed.

Start with five French cheeses

A French cheese board that covers the families needs five cheeses: a Brie, a fresh goat cheese, Comté, a washed rind such as Pont-l'Évêque and a blue. Pick those, serve them at room temperature with bread, and then go deeper into the region that appealed most.