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The word for cheese + a giveaway!

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Enter to win a copy of the excellent Mastering the Art of French Eating: simply name your favorite cheese, right here in the comments box. Bonne chance!

le fromage (froh-mazh)

    : cheese

Expression:
en faire tout un fromage = to make a big fuss out of nothing, to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Audio File: Listen to Jean-Marc read the example sentence from Wikipedia:
Download MP3 or Wav file

Le terme français « fromage » dérive de l’ancien français « formage » … (et) signifie : « ce qui est fait dans une forme ». The French word "cheese" comes from ancient French "formage" and means "that which is made into a shape."


A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE…

We're in for a treat today as my good friend Ann Mah is here to talk to us about le fromage! After reading Ann's delicious memoir, I know we can trust this endearing guide to enlighten us in all things French culinary. Now let's hear what Ann has to say about a less charming host, one that lives and thrives on cheese…

Les Artisons

I learned the word "artison" while eating cheese in St-Etienne, France. Near the end of a lavish lunch, my host offered a groaning board of local fromages. He selected one, tapped some powder off its surface into a small glass bowl, and handed me a magnifying glass. I saw a bunch of crumbs moving constantly, tiny specks that sometimes jumped. “Ce sont des artisons,” — cheese mites — he told me. “Small spiders that live in the cheese.” It was completely absorbing and also a little repulsive.

Ever since that meal, my fascination with cheese mites has only grown. And so, on a recent visit to Paris, I visited one of my favorite fromagers — Michel Fouchereau at La Fromagerie d’Auteuil — to find out more about these microscopic creatures — also called cirons, in French — what they do, and why they’re (sometimes) dangerous.

Fouchereau who, as a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (best craftsman of France) is one of the most informative sources on fromage, thinks of cheese as an animal. “We raise it, age it, and sell it so it’s consumed at its peak,” he said.

Cheese mites, he explained, are microorganisms that exist everywhere — “even in a draft of air” — but they especially love the damp, cool atmosphere found in the cave d’affinage, or cheese-aging chamber. They flock to cooked, pressed cheeses like Comté, or Cantal, boring into the crust, moving steadily towards the softer center, leaving behind a floral, sweet flavor. If left to their own devices, the artisons will take over a cheese until it becomes inedible. Many hard cheeses are, in fact, treated to deter cirons — the rind of Parmesan, for example, is oiled; cheddar is traditionally wrapped in cloth.
 
Mimolette

There is one French cheese, however, that welcomes these microscopic creatures as part of its aging process: Mimolette. Produced in Lille, near the Belgian border, it’s a hard, orange cheese with a thick crust riddled with holes. Mimolette starts out like any old pressed cheese, but at one or two months old, it’s taken to a special chamber and inoculated with artisons. The microscopic creatures nibble relentlessly, burrowing into the crust, aerating the cheese, and dramatically reducing the mimolette’s bulk. The result is a dense, salty cheese, with earthy, sweet, almost caramel, undertones. Unfortunately, the excess of mites on Mimolette's surface is considered an allergen and health hazard by the FDA; in 2013 they banned the cheese from the United States. Happily, small imports are once again being discreetly allowed.
Brique-fermier
        The brique fermier is the infamous St-Etienne cheese

Because fromagers keep a large assortment of cheeses in their cave — soft cheeses (like Roquefort, Camembert, or goat), as well as hard cheeses (Comté, Cantal, Beaufort) — they never allow the mites to linger and proliferate. In fact, they wage a constant battle against the artisons, cleaning the floors and shelves of the cave of their dust-like presence, continuously wiping, turning, and brushing the cheeses. “They never stop nibbling,” Fouchereau said. “We tolerate them, allow them to gather and do their work. And then, we eliminate them.”

                                                               *    *    *
Author picAnn Mah is a journalist and the author of the novel Kitchen Chinese. Awarded a James Beard Foundation culinary scholarship in 2005 , Ann's articles have appeared in The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, the International Herald Tribune and the South China Morning Post among other publications. The wife of a U.S. diplomat, Mah currently splits her time between New York City and Paris. Visit www.annmah.net. Author photo by Katia Grimmer-Laversanne. 

Emmental
Did you enjoy Ann's story? If so, be sure to share with her your favorite cheese, here in the comments–and so enter to win a copy of her Mastering the Art of French eating. Now out in paperback!

Smokey and cheese

The label reads: Indication Geographic Protégée. Hmmm. Smokey wonders if this is why a heavy window separates him from his favorite snack.

Enter to Win The Book!
And you? What is your favorite cheese? Tell me here, in the comments section, and automatically enter to win a copy of Ann's Mastering the Art of French Eating. Click here to enter.

Laguiole knife
Looking for a super gift–around $30–for a Francophile? These Laguiole cheese knives dress up any cheese platter. We received ours as a wedding present 20 years ago and it is always a pleasure to add them to the plateau de fromage. Only three sets left for this colorful Provencal theme, shown above, but you'll find many more Laguiole serving knives here.

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904 thoughts on “The word for cheese + a giveaway!”

  7. Oh my with over 365 to choose from tres difficile-impossible!
    I adore roblochon, St Andre, chevre, gruyere….. endless list,if I MUST choose One-chevre warm on a slice of baguette with a walnut and a drizzle of honey on salad greens- memorable lunch I had in Grenoble 20 years ago!
    Thanks, Joann

    Reply

  8. Oh my with over 365 to choose from tres difficile-impossible!
    I adore roblochon, St Andre, chevre, gruyere….. endless list,if I MUST choose One-chevre warm on a slice of baguette with a walnut and a drizzle of honey on salad greens- memorable lunch I had in Grenoble 20 years ago!
    Thanks, Joann

    Reply

  13. I love fontaina and touvelle cheese, also jarlsberg Swiss and gruyere but I thought I’d share about a cheese I’ve tasted in France that is NOT my favorite. I wish I knew the name of it but my daughter and I had some in our apartment in Aix several years ago and I couldn’t bring it past my nose. I know Europeans like strong smelling cheese but this smelled exactly like a dead mouse. We both agreed that this was what it smelled like and not one for us. A couple of years later we were in Paris with my niece and daughter in law. We went to a lovely restaurant and all ordered the tasting menu. When the frommage course was brought out my daughter and I both said “please don’t let it be the dead mouse cheese”. Sure enough, when I got a bite close to my face, that familiar aroma was back. My niece was cheerily nibbling away saying “I think it’s delicious, I don’t know why you wouldn’t like it” whenmy daughter asked her “well have you ever had to empty a mousetrap?”. Of course she replied “never” “well that explains how come you don’t know why we can’t eat this”. Trying to have good manners in the restaurant, I took a bite thinking it might taste better than it smelled but not so much. I managed to get it down but left the rest of my plate along with my daughter and daughter in law’s plates uneaten.

    Reply

  14. I love fontaina and touvelle cheese, also jarlsberg Swiss and gruyere but I thought I’d share about a cheese I’ve tasted in France that is NOT my favorite. I wish I knew the name of it but my daughter and I had some in our apartment in Aix several years ago and I couldn’t bring it past my nose. I know Europeans like strong smelling cheese but this smelled exactly like a dead mouse. We both agreed that this was what it smelled like and not one for us. A couple of years later we were in Paris with my niece and daughter in law. We went to a lovely restaurant and all ordered the tasting menu. When the frommage course was brought out my daughter and I both said “please don’t let it be the dead mouse cheese”. Sure enough, when I got a bite close to my face, that familiar aroma was back. My niece was cheerily nibbling away saying “I think it’s delicious, I don’t know why you wouldn’t like it” whenmy daughter asked her “well have you ever had to empty a mousetrap?”. Of course she replied “never” “well that explains how come you don’t know why we can’t eat this”. Trying to have good manners in the restaurant, I took a bite thinking it might taste better than it smelled but not so much. I managed to get it down but left the rest of my plate along with my daughter and daughter in law’s plates uneaten.

    Reply

  17. There is, to me, something “homey” and comforting about Brie, perhaps because it’s best served to a group of loving family or friends, enjoying some delectable wine, laughing and just being together. Hooray for Brie!

    Reply

  18. There is, to me, something “homey” and comforting about Brie, perhaps because it’s best served to a group of loving family or friends, enjoying some delectable wine, laughing and just being together. Hooray for Brie!

    Reply

  23. I absolutely love alpine cheese. It’s so… kind of crumbly and aromatic, I can’t really describe it. But it tastes heavenly, at least to me 🙂

    Reply

  24. I absolutely love alpine cheese. It’s so… kind of crumbly and aromatic, I can’t really describe it. But it tastes heavenly, at least to me 🙂

    Reply

  25. Reblechon de Savoie is the best, but with more French cheeses than days of the year, it is difficult to narrow it down.

    Reply

  26. Reblechon de Savoie is the best, but with more French cheeses than days of the year, it is difficult to narrow it down.

    Reply

  29. I love cheese. My favorite is a very ripe, runny Rocamadour. We travel to Southwestern France often, and we love to go to the markets and buy the makings of a picnic including several pieces of Rocamadour. Mmmm… Unfortunately I have never found it for sale in the US.

    Reply

  30. I love cheese. My favorite is a very ripe, runny Rocamadour. We travel to Southwestern France often, and we love to go to the markets and buy the makings of a picnic including several pieces of Rocamadour. Mmmm… Unfortunately I have never found it for sale in the US.

    Reply

  41. WOW Kristin ~ I think you have a whole lot of cheese lovers out here!
    Today, mine would have to be COMTE. Note I stated today, I love cheese!
    Great post ~
    Beth

    Reply

  42. WOW Kristin ~ I think you have a whole lot of cheese lovers out here!
    Today, mine would have to be COMTE. Note I stated today, I love cheese!
    Great post ~
    Beth

    Reply

  45. My favorite cheese is Leyden Cumin cheese. It’s hard to get here in the US, but I found a great little place in Princeton, NJ (one hour drive from my house) and they sell this delicious Dutch cheese. I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And as a snack! Yum.

    Reply

  46. My favorite cheese is Leyden Cumin cheese. It’s hard to get here in the US, but I found a great little place in Princeton, NJ (one hour drive from my house) and they sell this delicious Dutch cheese. I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And as a snack! Yum.

    Reply

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