French Cheeses Quiz

Answer: Comté. Comté, produced in the Jura mountains, comes in wheels weighing roughly 32 to 45 kg, and about 450 litres of milk are needed to make just one wheel.

Answer: Brie de Meaux. Brie de Meaux AOP comes in a large wheel about 36 cm in diameter, much wider than Camembert, and is sometimes nicknamed "the king of cheeses".

Answer: Emmental de Savoie. Emmental de Savoie PGI is famous for its large holes (called "eyes"), formed by carbon dioxide released during propionic fermentation.

Answer: Raclette de Savoie. Raclette de Savoie PGI is an uncooked-pressed cheese specially designed to melt and be scraped, an Alpine tradition popularised across France.

Answer: Munster. Munster AOP, produced in the Vosges between Alsace and Lorraine, is traditionally served with cumin seeds, which soften its powerful smell.

Answer: Laguiole. Laguiole AOP, made on the Aubrac plateau, is melted with mashed potatoes to make aligot, the stretchy dish emblematic of the Aveyron region.

Answer: Beaufort, Comté, Emmental de Savoie. Traditional Savoyard fondue is usually made with Beaufort, Comté and Emmental de Savoie. Reblochon, on the other hand, is reserved for tartiflette and isn't part of the classic fondue recipe.

Answer: Fromage de tête. "Fromage de tête" (head cheese) is actually a charcuterie item: a jellied preparation made from pieces of pig's head, set in a cheese mould — hence its misleading name.

Answer: About forty. France has 47 AOP cheeses since Mothais-sur-Feuille was registered in June 2026, from Roquefort to Comté and many regional tommes and blues.

Answer: Baked in its wooden box with a splash of Jura white wine. A small well is dug in the centre of the cheese and filled with a dash of Jura white wine (sometimes with a garlic clove), then the box, wrapped in foil, goes into the oven for about twenty minutes. The runny cheese is spooned over potatoes and served with cured meats from the Haut-Doubs. The spruce band is not just packaging: it flavours the cheese throughout its ageing.

Answer: Livarot. Livarot is an AOP cheese from the Pays d'Auge, famous for the reed or paper strips wrapped around its rind, earning it the nickname "the colonel".

Answer: Fourme d'Ambert. Fourme d'Ambert AOP is recognisable by its tall cylindrical shape, about 19 cm high and 13 cm in diameter, unique among French blue cheeses.

Answer: Saint-Nectaire. Saint-Nectaire AOP is traditionally aged on mats made of rye straw, giving it characteristic aromas of woodland and hazelnut.

Answer: Chaource. Chaource AOP, produced between Champagne and Burgundy, is known for a chalky centre and a soft, runny texture just under the bloomy rind.

Answer: Fourme de Montbrison. Fourme de Montbrison and Fourme d'Ambert share a common origin in the Forez mountains, but were granted two separate AOPs in 2002, with Montbrison having a creamier paste and an orange rind.

Answer: Gaperon. Gaperon, made from buttermilk and flavoured with garlic, was traditionally hung from the kitchen beam: the more of them, the more prosperous the farm was said to be.

Answer: Boulette d'Avesnes. Traditionally made from Maroilles trimmings, Boulette d'Avesnes is then heavily spiced and sometimes tinted red with annatto (roucou).

Answer: It is the traditional spelling protected by the AOP specifications. The Tome des Bauges AOP specifications impose this old spelling with a single "m", officially distinguishing it from generic, unprotected "tommes".

Answer: Brousse du Rove. Brousse du Rove is a fresh Provençal goat cheese made from the milk of the Rove goat breed; granted AOC status in 2018, it was registered as a European AOP (PDO) in 2020.

Answer: Penicillium camemberti. This mould, added to the milk or sprayed onto the cheeses, covers the rind with its white felt in about ten days. Ironically, in the 19th century Camemberts had a naturally blue-grey rind; a white strain, considered more appetising, took over in the early 20th century. Brevibacterium linens, for its part, gives washed rinds such as Maroilles their orange colour and powerful smell.