How to find the best French cheese for you: an expert’s guide to cheese shopping in France
From Paris fromageries to rural markets, discover the secrets to finding your perfect cheese in France with these tips and phrases to know
While flying to Europe, I like to ask flight attendants about their favourite haunts in the destination city. Whether it is their hometown or a place they fly to regularly, they know where to eat and shop.
However, when one such conversation turned to Paris cheese stores, an airline employee told me that she often leaves empty-handed.
“I’m always so intimidated,” she said.
One of the more memorable stops, in the Auvergne region of south-central France, was Saint-Nectaire. My mission: to buy this nutty-flavoured, semi-soft cheese directly from a producer.
By following road signs for the Route des Fromages, or cheese route, I found one whose family had been in the business for eight generations. Like others in the area, they sold the cheese only by the wheel, which weighed several pounds each.
Before committing to the €17 (US$20) purchase, I asked for a taste. The vendor obliged, using a tool called a sonde, which drilled into the centre of the cheese to extract a slender, creamy, smooth ivory sample.