List of French cheeses


This is a list of French cheeses documenting the varieties of cheeses, a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms, which are found in France. In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle once asked, "How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?" There is immense diversity within each variety of cheese, leading some to estimate between 1,000 and 1,600 distinct types of French cheese. French cheeses are broadly grouped into eight categories, 'les huit familles de fromage'.

Protected designation of origin

Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established cheeses, including many French varieties, are covered by a protected designation of origin, and other, less stringent, designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities, such as the EU Protected Geographical Indication. The systems has largely replaced national systems, such as the French appellation d'origine contrôlée system, as any cheese registered as a PDO or PGI can not use the designation AOC anymore in order to avoid confusion.
French cheese production is classified under four categories, and PDO/PGI/ rules dictate which category or categories each protected cheese may be assigned to:
  • Fermier: farmhouse cheese, which is produced on the farm where the milk is produced.
  • Artisanal: producer producing cheese in relatively small quantities using milk from their own farm, but may also purchase milk from local farms.
  • Coopérative: dairy with local milk producers in an area that have joined to produce cheese. In larger coopératives quantities of cheese produced may be relatively large, akin to some industriel producers.
  • Industriel: factory-made cheese from milk sourced locally or regionally, perhaps all over France.
Some cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. The majority are classified as Appellation d'origine contrôlée, the highest level of protection. Some are also protected under the less stringent but still legally regulated designation Label Régional. A few French cheeses are protected under the European Union's Protected Geographic Indication designation. Many familiar generic types, like Boursin, are not covered, while others originally from other countries may have certain varieties protected as a French cheese. This list differs from those of Chundi status.
CheeseYear designated appellationProducing regionType of milkDesignation
Abondance1990Haute-SavoieCowPDO
Banon2003Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurGoatPDO
Beaufort1968SavoieCowPDO
Bleu d'Auvergne1975AuvergneCowPDO
Bleu des Causses1979Midi-PyrénéesCowPDO
Bleu de Gex Haut-Jura / Bleu de Septmoncel1977Franche-ComtéCowPDO
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage1998Rhône-AlpesCowPDO
BucheronLoire ValleyGoatPDO
Brie de Meaux1980Île-de-FranceCowPDO
Brie de Melun1980Île-de-FranceCowPDO
Brillat-Savarin2015BurgundyCowPGI
Brocciu Corse or Brocciu1983CorsicaSheepPDO
Brousse du Rove2018Le RoveGoatPDO
Cabécou1988Midi-PyrénéesGoatAOC
Cancoillotten/aFranche-ComtéCowLR
Cantal, Fourme de Cantal1956AuvergneCowPDO
Camembert de Normandie1983NormandyCowAOC
Cazelle de Saint Affriquen/aMidi-Pyrénées, Aveyron DepartmentSheepPDO
Chabichou du Poitou1990Poitou-CharentesGoatPDO
Chaource1970Champagne-ArdenneCowPDO
2010Charolais, FranceGoatPDO
Chevrotin2003SavoyGoatPDO
Comté1952Franche-ComtéCowPDO
Crottin de Chavignol/Chavignol1976Centre-Val de LoireGoatPDO
Époisses1991BurgundyCowPDO
Fourme d'Ambert1972AuvergneCowPDO
Fourme de Montbrison1972AuvergneCowPDO
Laguiole1961AuvergneCowPDO
Langres1991Champagne-ArdenneCowPDO
Livarot1972NormandyCowPDO
Mâconnais2006BurgundyGoatPDO
Maroilles or Marolles1976Nord-Pas-de-CalaisCowPDO
Mimoletten/aNord-Pas-de-CalaisCowLR
Mont d'or, or Vacherin Mont d'Or du Haut-Doubs2006Franche-ComtéCowPDO
Morbier2000Franche-ComtéCowPDO
Munster or Munster-Géromé1969Alsace and Vosges départements in LorraineCowPDO
Neufchâtel1969NormandyCowPDO
Ossau-lraty1980AquitaineSheepPDO
Pélardon2000Languedoc-RoussillonGoatPDO
Picodon1983Rhône-AlpesGoatPDO
Pont-l'Évêque1976NormandyCowPDO
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre1972Centre-Val de LoireGoatPDO
2015Franche-ComtéCowPGI
Reblochon or Reblochon de Savoie1958Savoie and Haute-SavoieCowPDO
Rigotte de Condrieu2008LyonGoatPDO
Rocamadour1996Midi-PyrénéesGoatPDO
Roquefort1925Midi-PyrénéesSheepPDO
Sainte-Maure de Touraine1990Centre-Val de LoireGoatPDO
Saint-Marcellin2010Rhône-AlpesCowPGI
Saint-Nectaire1955AuvergneCowPDO
Saint-Félicienn/aRhône-AlpesCowLR
Salers1979AuvergneCowPDO
Selles-sur-Cher1975Centre-Val de LoireGoatPDO
Soumaintrain 2014SoumaintrainCowPGI
Tome des Bauges2002SavoieCowPDO
Tome fraîchen/aAuvergne and AubracCowAOC
Tomme de Savoien/aSavoieCowPGI
Tomme des Pyrénéesn/aMidi-PyrénéesCowPGI
Trou du Crun/aBurgundy, Côte-d'Or DepartmentCowAOC
Valençay1998Centre-Val de LoireGoatPDO

Image:Sheeps cheese, Villefranche de Rouergue.jpg|thumb|Cheese seller in France

Other cheeses