🇫🇷 The cheeses of France
99 cheeses from France, best known first, across 80 towns, markets and caves.
France produces a vast array of cheeses, with estimates ranging from one thousand to sixteen hundred distinct types. This diversity is organized into eight main families and regulated by strict origin labels that define production methods.
- Estimates suggest between 1,000 and 1,600 distinct types exist.
- Cheeses are grouped into eight broad families.
- Farmhouse cheese uses milk from the same farm.
- Cooperatives pool local milk for larger production.
- EU PDO rules replaced the national AOC system.
Cheese in France
French dairy culture is defined by immense variety, often cited as having over two hundred varieties alone, though total counts reach much higher. The nation groups its output into eight broad families to manage this complexity. These products range from small local batches to large factory runs. The character of the cheese depends heavily on where it comes from and who makes it. Neighboring countries share some styles, but French rules on origin create a unique legal framework for each type.
Milk, making and ageing
Production falls into four main categories based on scale and milk source. Farmhouse cheeses use milk produced directly on the farm where the cheese is made. Artisanal makers produce small quantities, often buying extra milk from nearby farms. Cooperative dairies allow local producers to pool resources for larger output. Industrial factories source milk widely, sometimes across the entire country, following specific regulations.
Today
The European Union's Protected Designation of Origin system now governs most French cheeses. This replaced older national labels like AOC to prevent confusion. Cheeses can also carry the less strict PGI label. Many common brands do not hold these protections. The system ensures that only registered products can use specific geographical terms.
Where this page comes from
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "List of French cheeses", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryCheese rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
Cheese towns and markets of France
Normandy 5Savoie 5Auvergne 4Aveyron 4Cantal 3Aquitaine 2Aubrac 2Corsica 2Époisses 2Franche-Comté 2Haut-Doubs 2Jura 2Meaux 2Melun 2Midi-Pyrénées 2Nouvelle-Aquitaine 2Périgord 2Quercy 2Seine-et-Marne 2Abondance 1Aisy-sous-Thil 1Albertville 1Allier 1Ambert 1Aravis 1Ardèche 1Arly valley 1Aube 1Auvilliers 1Axat 1Basque region 1Bauges 1Bauges mountains 1Beaufortain 1Beauzac 1Belcaire 1Bougon 1Boulogne-sur-Mer 1Bréhan 1Bresse 1Bulgnéville 1Burgundy 1Camembert 1Centre-Val de Loire 1Cévennes 1Chablais 1Champagne-Ardenne 1Champlitte 1Chaource 1Charente 1Charolles 1Chavignol 1Chézery-Forens 1Combalou 1Condrieu 1Côte-d'Or 1Coulommiers 1Croisy-sur-Eure 1Deux-Sèvres 1Dieulefit 1Drôme 1Forez mountains 1Gérardmer 1Gorges du Tarn 1Haute-Savoie 1Indre-et-Loire 1Isère 1Isigny-sur-Mer 1Jura Mountains 1Lajoux 1Langres 1Languedoc-Roussillon 1Laon 1Le Grand-Abergement 1Les Moussières 1Lille 1Limagne 1Limousin 1Livarot 1Loches 1
🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Meaux
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a white rind from the Brie region of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceBleu de Bresse
A creamy French blue cheese from the Bresse region, aged for a few weeks.Cow · Blue · Earthy and cellar
🇫🇷 FranceGaperon
A dome-shaped Auvergne cheese with a white mold rind and garlic-pepper filling.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceSelles-sur-Cher
A small cylindrical goat cheese with a grey-blue mould rind from Centre-Val de Loire.Goat · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇫🇷 FrancePélardon
A small, round soft-ripened goat cheese from the Cévennes mountains of southern France.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceSainte-Maure de Touraine
A soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from Touraine, aged with a straw through its center.Goat · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceTome des Bauges
A pressed cow's-milk cheese from the French Alps with a grey-brown rind and hazelnut aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FrancePetit suisse
A fresh, creamy French cow's milk cheese from Normandy, often sold in small cups.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Marcellin
A small, soft cow's-milk cheese from Isère with a creamy interior and bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind
🇫🇷 FranceCabécou
A small, soft French goat cheese with a bloomy rind and mild lactic taste.Goat · Bloomy rind
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme
A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur
A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-PaulinSaint Paulin
A semi-soft French cow's milk cheese with a washed orange rind and buttery flavour.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceChevrotin
A soft, washed-rind goat cheese from the Savoy Alps with a reddish rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceAbbaye de Tamié
A soft cow's-milk cheese aged in the cellars of a Savoyard abbey by monks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceRigotte de Condrieu
A small, soft goat cheese from the Lyonnaise region with a white mold rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc
A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas
A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceChabichou
A cylindrical French goat cheese with a natural rind, aged for two to three weeks.Goat · Semi-soft · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle
A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceTomme des PyrénéesToma de Pirenèus
A rustic pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois
A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne
A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇫🇷 FranceSaint Albray
A soft cow's-milk cheese from France with a flower-shaped rind and hollow center.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Félicien
A creamy cow's milk cheese from France with a flower-patterned rindCow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceAisy cendré
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese rolled in wood ash and aged for two weeks.Cow · Washed rind · Smoky
🇫🇷 FrancePerailPérail
A soft ewes-milk cheese from Aveyron with a wrinkly ivory rind.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceMottin charentais
A cylindrical French soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk with a creamy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceDélice de Bourgogne
A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Burgundy with a bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceChavroux
A soft goat's milk cheese sold in small pyramid or cylinder containers.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceCathareCatara
A soft goat cheese from southern France with a charcoal-dusted rind marked by the Occitan cross.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceCharolais
A soft, natural-rind goat cheese from Burgundy with an AOC and PDO status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceExplorateur
A soft-ripened triple cream cow's milk cheese from France with a squat cylindrical shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceTrou du Cru
A pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, aged with local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 FranceP'tit Basque
A small, medium-firm sheep's milk cheese with a basket-weave rind, aged 70 days.Sheep · Semi-hard · Earthy and cellar
🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca
A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceChabis
A soft, white-moulded goat cheese from western France, often spiced.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceBrousse
A lumpy whey cheese from Provence and Corsica made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMaredsous
A semi-hard cow's milk washed-rind cheese with an orange crust and pungent aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 FranceBrouère
A firm cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges, aged in wooden molds with artisan patterns.Cow · Semi-hard
🇫🇷 FranceCazelle de Saint AffriqueCazelle de Sant Afric
A soft, pungent sheep's milk cheese from the Aveyron department of France.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceCouronne lochoise
A soft, ash-coated goat cheese from the Loire Valley shaped like a ring.Goat · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceBucheronBûcheron
A semi-aged goat's milk cheese from France shaped like a short log with a white rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇫🇷 FranceAbbaye de Timadeuc CheeseFourmaj Abati Tinadeuc
A soft, salty cow's-milk cheese made by Trappist monks in Brittany.Cow · Semi-soft · Salty
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreThe Laughing CowLa vache qui rit
A pasteurized processed cheese spread sold in individual wedges since 1921.Cow · Processed
🇫🇷 FranceBoursin
A soft, herb-flecked French spread made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream.Cow · Fresh · Herbal and grassy
🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun
A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc
A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium, similar to yogurt.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Charolais: Jackydarne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Brouère: Ermitage, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Brie de Meaux: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pélardon: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bleu de Bresse: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cabécou: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Saint-Marcellin: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saint Agur: Micah Anderson, Public domain, source
- Petit suisse: Chtfn, CC BY 2.5, source
- Sainte-Maure de Touraine: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rigotte de Condrieu: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint Albray: Lyokoï88, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tomme: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Perail: Benoît Prieur, CC0, source
- Chabichou: Mark Baker, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Aisy cendré: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaumes: Robin dubois, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fromage blanc: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tomme des Pyrénées: Julie333411, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vacherin Fribourgeois: Tombat24, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tome des Bauges: Mit-Mit, Public domain, source
- Chevrotin: Benoît Prieur, CC0, source
- Selles-sur-Cher: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gaperon: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Trou du Cru: Tristan Ferne, CC BY 2.0, source
- Saint-Paulin: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- P'tit Basque: Havang(nl), CC0, source
- Abbaye de Tamié: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
- Saint-Félicien: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tome fraîche: Flblbl, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Brousse: Roland Darré, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mottin charentais: Cobber17, CC BY 3.0, source
- Délice de Bourgogne: Beprost, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chavroux: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
- Cathare: Paul Munhoven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Couronne lochoise: Thomon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bucheron: Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Abbaye de Timadeuc Cheese: Salsero35, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- The Laughing Cow: Dwight Burdette, CC BY 3.0, source
- Brie de Melun: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
The weekly digest
Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.