French Cheeses Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
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- Which small AOP goat cheese, shaped like a champagne cork, is produced in the Vienne department?
- A. Valençay
- B. Rocamadour
- C. Crottin de Chavignol
- D. Chabichou du Poitou
- Which Auvergne AOP blue cheese differs from Roquefort mainly because it is made from cow's milk?
- A. Roquefort
- B. Fourme d'Ambert
- C. Bleu d'Auvergne
- D. Bleu des Causses
- Which Savoie AOP cooked-pressed cheese is nicknamed "the prince of Gruyères" and matured in high-altitude cellars?
- A. Comté
- B. Beaufort
- C. Abondance
- D. Reblochon
- Which cow's milk raw-milk AOP cheese from Cantal comes in three aging stages: young, in-between, and old?
- A. Laguiole
- B. Cantal
- C. Salers
- D. Saint-Nectaire
- Which sheep's milk AOP cheese is aged exclusively in the natural caves of Combalou ?
- A. Roquefort
- B. Bleu des Causses
- C. Bleu d'Auvergne
- D. Fourme d'Ambert
- Which Normandy soft, flowery-rind cheese must, to carry the AOP label, be hand-ladled in successive layers?
- A. Camembert de Normandie
- B. Pont-l'Évêque
- C. Neufchâtel
- D. Livarot
- Which small AOP goat cheese from the Quercy region is named after a pilgrimage village perched on a cliff?
- A. Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
- B. Valençay
- C. Rocamadour
- D. Crottin de Chavignol
- Which AOP blue cheese is produced on the Vercors massif, spanning the Isère and Drôme departments?
- A. Bleu d'Auvergne
- B. Bleu des Causses
- C. Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage
- D. Fourme d'Ambert
- Which AOP cheese from Savoie, uncooked pressed curd, is made exclusively on alpine pastures or farms of the Bauges massif?
- A. Tomme de Savoie
- B. Chevrotin
- C. Reblochon
- D. Tome des Bauges
- Which small, very creamy PGI cow's milk cheese is named after a town in the Isère and was, legend says, a favourite of King Louis XI?
- A. Chaource
- B. Rocamadour
- C. Saint-Marcellin
- D. Saint-Félicien
- Which soft, washed-rind cheese from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais was ranked, in a scientific study, as the smelliest cheese in the world?
- A. Munster
- B. Vieux Boulogne
- C. Livarot
- D. Maroilles
- Which Normandy AOP soft, washed-rind cheese, square in shape, was already mentioned as early as the 12th century under the name "Angelot"?
- A. Pont-l'Évêque
- B. Livarot
- C. Neufchâtel
- D. Camembert de Normandie
- Which soft, bloomy-rind cheese, a smaller cousin of Brie, weighs around 450 grams compared to more than 2.5 kg for a Brie de Meaux?
- A. Coulommiers
- B. Chaource
- C. Camembert de Normandie
- D. Brie de Melun
- Which extremely rare Savoie blue cheese is made in just a handful of mountain chalets, with no artificial mould added?
- A. Bleu de Termignon
- B. Bleu de Gex
- C. Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage
- D. Bleu d'Auvergne
- What special label can a Beaufort AOP made in summer, in a mountain chalet, from the milk of a single herd, carry?
- A. "Chalet d'alpage"
- B. "Grand cru"
- C. "Réserve fermière"
- D. "Estive premium"
- Comté is the most-produced AOP cheese in France: roughly how many wheels come out of production each year?
- A. About 1.7 million
- B. About 250,000
- C. About 25 million
- D. About 25,000
- Which unripened soft cheese from Franche-Comté forms the base of Cancoillotte once melted with butter?
- A. Metton
- B. Morbier
- C. Fresh Cancoillotte
- D. Grated Comté
- In the classic sequence of a French gourmet meal, when is the cheese course traditionally served?
- A. Before the starter
- B. Between the starter and the main course
- C. Between the main course and dessert
- D. After dessert
- Which Auvergne speciality combines sliced sautéed potatoes with stringy fresh Cantal or Salers tome?
- A. Aligot
- B. Potée
- C. Truffade
- D. Pounti
- Which Burgundy speciality, served as an appetiser or at cellar tastings, is a small savoury cheese puff?
- A. Fouace
- B. Pogne
- C. Fougasse
- D. Gougère
Answer key — French Cheeses Quiz
- D. Chabichou du PoitouChabichou du Poitou is a small conical AOP goat cheese, often compared to a champagne cork, produced in the Poitou-Charentes region.
- C. Bleu d'AuvergneBleu d'Auvergne AOP is a blue-veined cheese made from cow's milk, unlike Roquefort which is made from sheep's milk.
- B. BeaufortBeaufort AOP, made in Savoie, is sometimes called "the prince of Gruyères"; its high-mountain production and cellar aging give it a typical fruity flavour.
- B. CantalCantal AOP comes in different aging stages: young Cantal (under 30 days), entre-deux (30 to 90 days), and old (over 8 months), each offering a different texture and flavour.
- A. RoquefortRoquefort AOP is aged in the natural caves of Combalou, ventilated by natural air currents called "fleurines" that favour the growth of Penicillium roqueforti.
- A. Camembert de NormandieCamembert de Normandie AOP is distinguished by hand-ladling in five or six successive layers, a traditional method that sets it apart from industrial camembert.
- C. RocamadourRocamadour AOP is named after the famous pilgrimage village in the Lot department, built into a cliffside, where this small round goat cheese is traditionally made.
- C. Bleu du Vercors-SassenageBleu du Vercors-Sassenage AOP is a mild blue-veined cheese that has been produced in the mountains of the Vercors massif since the Middle Ages.
- D. Tome des BaugesTome des Bauges is an AOP made only in the Bauges massif, using raw, non-skimmed milk — unlike Tomme de Savoie, a more general PGI made with partially skimmed milk.
- C. Saint-MarcellinAccording to legend, King Louis XI, chased by a bear in the Dauphiné, was saved by peasants who offered him this small cheese, of which he later became a great fan at court.
- B. Vieux BoulogneIn 2004, a study at Cranfield University (UK) using an "electronic nose" ranked Vieux Boulogne as the smelliest cheese out of dozens of samples tested.
- A. Pont-l'ÉvêquePont-l'Évêque AOP, one of the oldest Normandy cheeses still made today, was already mentioned in the Middle Ages under the name "Angelot", before taking the name of the Calvados town where it has been sold since the 17th century.
- A. CoulommiersCoulommiers, sometimes nicknamed "little brie", is much smaller than Brie de Meaux and, unlike it, does not hold AOP status.
- A. Bleu de TermignonProduced in tiny quantities in the Vanoise massif, this blue cheese develops naturally from moulds already present in the mountain chalets, without any laboratory-added penicillium.
- A. "Chalet d'alpage"This label highlights the rarest Beaufort wheels, made during summer at altitude with milk from a single transhumant herd, generally considered the finest quality.
- A. About 1.7 millionWith around 70,000 tonnes a year, i.e.
- A. MettonMetton is a Franche-Comté cheese made from drained curdled milk, pressed and lightly fermented; melted with butter, it becomes Cancoillotte.
- C. Between the main course and dessertIn France, custom has cheese served after the main course and before dessert, often paired with the same red wine as the main course.
- C. TruffadeDon't confuse it with aligot, its cousin from the Aubrac, in which the fresh tome is beaten into mashed potato until it forms a long elastic ribbon.
- D. GougèreA gougère is choux pastry mixed with grated cheese, usually Comté or Gruyère, baked into small golden hollow balls.