My French friends and in-laws joke that I love French cheese enough to earn honorary citizenship! In this post, I share what I’ve learned about French cheese culture and help you become a true cheese connoisseur.
Cheese: A Cornerstone of French Living
Since moving to France in 2021, I’ve discovered just how deeply cheese is woven into the fabric of everyday life. It’s more than food here — it’s a proud symbol of tradition and one of the brightest jewels of French gastronomy.
There are over 1,200 different French cheeses cataloged by the national dairy board. That incredible variety reflects the story of France itself: its diverse regions, its farming traditions, and centuries of delicious craftsmanship passed down through generations.
Fun fact: About one in three French people enjoy cheese every single day — and honestly, who can blame them? France is also the world’s biggest cheese-loving nation, with nearly 60 pounds (26 kilos) eaten per person each year. That’s a lot of fromage!
And for my fellow history nerds, Charles de Gaulle, frustrated with a politically fractured population, famously said in 1962, “How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?” (although his estimation was very low-balled, it is pretty crazy that the French population has come up with over 1,000 different ways to transform milk into cheese).
Enjoying Cheese the French Way
When to Eat Cheese (Trick Question)
In France, cheese is most often enjoyed after the main course but before dessert, elegantly arranged on a cheese platter called a plateau de fromages. A good platter usually has 3–5 cheeses, offering a mix of textures and flavors: soft, hard, creamy, blue, mild, and strong.
Many bars also offer curated cheese and charcuterie boards as part of an apéritif, or apéro, aka pre-dinner drinks. These boards can be a big deal, with bars becoming famous for the quality and selection of their offerings. Sitting at a bar, sipping wine, and nibbling from a carefully curated board is a true lesson in the French art of slow, social eating.
Of course, if you ask a French person, they’ll probably tell you there’s no wrong time of day to eat cheese!
How to Serve Cheese
Cheese is almost always paired with bread, usually a fresh baguette. It’s sometimes served alongside fruit, nuts, charcuterie, or leafy salads.
Wine is often added to the mix, carefully chosen to enhance and balance flavors. There is no hard and fast rule on whether to drink white or red. It ultimately comes down to personal preference. Strong, hard cheeses are often enjoyed with strong reds, salty blue cheeses with sweet whites, and creamy cheeses like goat cheese with dry whites.
And an important unspoken rule of etiquette: Use a different knife for each cheese, or at least wipe your knife with bread before cutting into a new one! Otherwise, you might get some judgmental looks…I would know (oops).
Cheese is always served at room temperature, and when tasting, the French start with milder cheeses and work up to stronger varieties.
And finally, don’t be so quick to cut off the rinds! Many are edible and add texture and depth, as is the case for cheeses like Brie, various Tommes, and Saint-Nectaire. Skipping them would mean missing out on part of the cheese’s full character.
Essential French Cheeses
Join me on my cheesy journeys to my local fromagerie. Each post talks about a set of famous French cheeses that Olivier and I wanted to share with you (and eat for an entire week). You’ll find information on each cheese, from history to tips and recipes for enjoying it.