French Cheese Guide: 13 Fromages You Need To Taste Test

Are you a budding French cheese buff? Our guide to the 13 best French cheeses includes their history, flavour notes and even how to best enjoy each!

No food is more synonymous with France than cheese. After all, we are the home of over 1000 varieties of cheese, so it goes without saying that we take the art of cheesemaking seriously!

From the northernmost reaches of the country to the French Alps, from the Loire Valley to the sunny southwest, some of the most diverse, delicious and fascinating cheeses has been produced in France. And while many other countries now produce their own varieties of French cheese, we still lay claim to doing it first.

What’s your cheese style? Nutty? Pungent? Herby? Buttery? Earthy? Salty? Citrussy?

Each French cheese has a tale to tell, and this week on the Paris Teacher’s Club blog, we’ve put together the following guide to the 13 best French cheeses, their origins, production processes, flavours and textures and even how you should enjoy each.

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1. Brie 

Origin: Ile-de-France, North-Central France.

Source: Cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Creamy, buttery and mild.  

Serving suggestion: As an appetiser, served with fresh baguette or crackers, and paired with a platter of fruit and nuts. 

Arguably the most famous French cheese, brie is a soft, pale variety that is beloved the world over. Brie can also be found in both double and triple crème varieties, which are created by adding extra cream to cow’s milk during production, which adds to the intensity of this mild, soft cheese. Brie’s subtle flavour makes it a hit even for the pickiest of eaters, and is a great starter for those dipping their toe into the world of French cheese! 

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2. Camembert 

Origin: Normandy, Northern France.

Source: Cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Intense, earthy and milky. 

Serving suggestion: Baked for 15 minutes for seriously gooey goodness, and enjoyed with fresh breadsticks. 

Often considered the sister of brie, camembert is actually a more complex cheese with a bolder aroma and taste. This soft, delicious cheese was first invented by a Normandy farmer in the 18th century, and it continues to thrill cheese lovers the world over today. 

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3. Roquefort 

Origin: Occitania, Southern France.

Source: Sheep’s milk.

Flavour notes: Pungent, sharp and creamy.

Serving suggestion: Served with simple bread and butter, as we French do. Plus a sweet wine to enjoy on the side! 

If you’re a fan of blue cheese, you’ll love roquefort, an intense sheep’s milk cheese that is French through and through – even by law! Bold and guaranteed to leave an impression, roquefort is best enjoyed in a simple way due to its profound flavour and aroma. 

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4. Reblochon  

Origin: Haute-Savoie, French Alps.

Source: Raw cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Fruity, nutty and buttery. 

Serving suggestion: Reblochon is used in the French dish tartiflette, an Alpine gratin that is the ultimate winter warmer!

The fact that is it made with unpasteurised cow’s milk means that reblochon is hard to find outside of France, as many countries heavily regulate unpasteurised products. So next time you’re here, don’t miss out on trying it for yourself! This soft yet robust cheese has been produced by Alpine farmers for centuries. 

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5. Comté 

Origin: Jura Mountains, French Alps.

Source: Raw cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Smoky, aromatic and sweet. 

Serving suggestion: A classic grilled comté sandwich can’t be beat! 

Another unpasteurised French standout is comté, a cheese that is sweet yet salty and guaranteed to tingle your taste buds! Similar to Switzerland’s famous gruyère, comté is one of the most popular cheeses in France and has many diverse uses in the kitchen. 

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6. Munster 

Origin: Vosges, Eastern France.  

Source: Cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Nutty, mild and tangy. 

Serving suggestion: Munster’s slightly salty taste makes it the ideal sandwich filler, best enjoyed on fresh bread alongside ham and salad. 

Its spongy, pillowy appearance is already tempting, and Munster’s superb taste is simply the cherry on top of this all-rounder. This French cheese is the perfect mild flavour option for those who aren’t fans of more robust-tasting cheeses. Sometimes spelt Muenster, this cheese is marked by an orange rind, and is traditionally made with unpasteurised cow’s milk. However, you can now find pasteurised alternatives across the world.

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7. Époisses

Origin: Burgundy, East-Central France.

Source: Cow’s milk.  

Flavour notes: Savoury, earthy and strong. 

Serving suggestion: Époisses is a popular fondue cheese, and is scrumptious when melted into golden, gooey goodness!

Originating in Burgundy, époisses is a pungent smelling cheese that has a firm orange-red rind and a very soft interior. This almost runny texture is why so many enjoy it as the basis for fondue. The production and ageing process of époisses is strictly regulated, as the bacteria it produces past 49 days can be upsetting to digestive systems… and sometimes fatal. However, when purchased from a trusted cheese supplier, there’s nothing to worry about!

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8. Maroilles

Origin: Hauts-de-France, Northern France. 

Source: Cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Creamy, mushroomy and robust. 

Serving suggestion: Bake up a traditional Maroilles tart, a savoury standout from Northern France.

Many of the best French cheeses originate in Northern France, and maroilles is one such beloved cheese. Available in both unpasteurised and pasteurised varieties, maroilles is a soft artisan cheese with roots that date back over 1000 years. Maroilles has a very pungent odour – good news for lovers of stinky French cheese!

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9. Neufchatel

Origin: Hauts-de-France, Northern France. 

Source: Cow’s milk.

Flavour notes: Salty, pungent and milky. 

Serving suggestion: Neufchatel is often used in place of regular cream cheese.

One of the traits of neufchatel that makes it stand out against its peers is the traditional heart shape it comes in. But neufchatel isn’t just the sweetest looking French cheese, its also one of the best tasting! Inside its rind, you’ll be treated to a soft, crumbly and grainy cheese that was first created in the 6th century AD. With an outside appearance that is much like brie or camembert, it boasts an entirely different taste and texture on the inside.

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10. Banon 

Origin: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, South-Eastern France.

Source: Goat’s milk.

Flavour notes: Sharp, nutty and with notes of vegetables.

Serving suggestion: As an afternoon platter essential, served alongside fruit and rose wine. 

Banon is an impressive French cheese that is unique in taste and appearance. Banon traditionally comes wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia, which only adds to its nutty flavour and pretty appearance. This unpasteurised goat’s milk cheese is a complex variety to produce, but it has stood the test of time. Banon has been produced since Roman times.

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11. Ossau-Iraty

Origin: French Basque Country, South-East France.

Source: Sheep’s milk.

Flavour notes: Nutty, unique and herby. 

Serving suggestion: Grated over your favourite soup this winter – divine! 

If you’re a fan of cows and goats milk cheeses, but are yet to taste test a sheep’s milk French cheese, we recommend ossau-iraty. Traditionally produced in France’s west, near the Spanish border, ossau-iraty is an artisan cheese that is slightly harder to find than other entries on our list. There are actually over 100 varieties of this French cheese, which utilises one of the oldest cheese-making techniques in the world. In fact, many say that ossau-iraty was one of the first cheeses ever made!

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12. Buche de Chevre

Origin: Loire Valley, Central France.

Source: Goat’s milk.  

Flavour notes: Heavy, creamy and citrusy. 

Serving suggestion: Warm and added to your favourite salad!

You may be used to seeing French cheeses sold in round or square blocks, so ruche de chèvre is already a standout due to its unique log form. This Loire Valley goat’s milk gem hits all the right notes thanks to its high-quality production. It’s soft and creamy, and boasts a unique flavour palette of sweet yet sour, zingy yet spicy. It also has a harder, crunchier rind than other soft cheeses, making it ideal to add to salads for a bit of texture, or melted over pizza.

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13. Beaufort 

Origin: Savoie, French Alps.

Source: Cow’s milk.  

Flavour notes: Fruity, sweet and buttery. 

Serving suggestion: On a dessert cheese board after a hearty French meal! 

If you prefer your cheeses firm and are a fan of comté, you’ll love beaufort, a French cheese produced from unpasteurised cow’s milk in the picturesque French Alps. There are two types of beaufort cheese, but we love Beaufort d’Alpage, which has a more profound flavour. This Alpine cheese is considered one of the world’s finest, and its taste is robust yet sweet. Melt in your mouth delicious!

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What is your favourite French cheese? Let us know!

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