The Laughing Cow

What is The Laughing Cow?

The Laughing Cow is a brand of processed cheese products created by Fromageries Bel. The mix combines cream, milk, and both fresh and aged cheeses, notably comté. The blend undergoes pasteurization to halt further ripening. The most recognizable form is a spreadable wedge wrapped in foil, sealed with a red thread that pulls open the round box. Other formats include tubs, slicing blocks, pods for children, slices for toast, and bite-sized cubes for parties.

Where does The Laughing Cow come from?

Léon Bel trademarked the brand La Vache Qui Rit in France on April 16, 1921. The mascot originated during World War I when illustrator Benjamin Rabier drew a smiling cow named La Wachkyrie for Bel's supply trains. Rabier later revised the drawing into the red and white cow wearing ear tags resembling the cheese boxes. Blue and white stripes appeared on the packaging in 1955.

What does The Laughing Cow taste like?

The base product offers a creamy texture derived from the blend of milk, cream, and aged cheeses. Consumers can find an original version alongside lighter options with reduced fat content. Many markets offer flavored variations including ham, gruyère, garlic, paprika, mushroom, goat cheese, blue cheese, hazelnut, pizza, jalapeño, and onion.

How The Laughing Cow is made

Producers blend cream, milk, and selected cheeses together. The mixture is pasteurized to ensure shelf stability and stop the aging process. The resulting cheese is portioned into various shapes such as wedges, cubes, or slices. Packaging typically involves foil wrappers and cardboard containers designed for easy opening.

How The Laughing Cow is eaten and cooked

The cheese serves as a quick snack, particularly for children. Slices work well on toast, while wedges and tubs function as spreads. Bite-sized cubes are suitable for cocktail parties and hors d'oeuvres. Some regions sell cheese sticks paired with bread for dipping. Recipes for cooking with the cheese are available on the brand website.

The Laughing Cow through the day

It appears as a daily snack for kids and a breakfast item on toast. The cubes and wedges fit onto cheese boards or serve as party appetizers. The product is versatile enough for lunchboxes and casual grazing.

The Laughing Cow in the world's kitchens

The brand enjoys popularity across France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It has a strong presence in Southeast Asia and South Asia, with localized names in Indonesia and India. German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Scandinavian, Polish, Hungarian, Croatian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Czech, Cypriot, Iranian, Vietnamese, Malagasy, and Israeli markets also carry the product under translated titles.

Custom and folk tradition

The mascot gained cultural traction beyond food. A German submarine crew adopted the name and indicia during World War II. The phrase appears as a move in the video game Primal Rage. A children's book prize in Zürich and a program in Auvergne share the name. The mascot also appeared on a music album cover.

Buying, keeping and serving The Laughing Cow

Pasteurization allows the cheese to stay unrefrigerated for a short period. Once opened, the individual portions should be consumed promptly. The foil packaging helps maintain freshness until the red thread is pulled.

What to use instead of The Laughing Cow

Cooks may use Dairylea, a similar spreadable cheese popular in the UK and Ireland. Swiss Knight offers comparable spreadable wedges. Babybel provides another internationally distributed snack cheese from the same manufacturer.

Protection and trade

Fromageries Bel manages the brand and produces it worldwide. A separate brand called Kiri launched in 1966. In 2026, the company temporarily altered the logo to show a frowning cow. The company operates a museum dedicated to the brand.

Questions people ask about The Laughing Cow

Good reading and sources

• The Laughing Cow on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data