French cheese

French cheese and its taste

France has a total of more than 750 different types of cheese. The age of the cheese plays an important role here. Is the cheese well ripe? Then the flavour comes into its own. But the way the milk is treated also has an influence. Raw milk gives the cheese a much more intense flavour than pasteurised milk.

Types of French cheese

French cheeses can be divided by taste, origin and type of cheese. Based on these characteristics, we can distinguish different families of French cheeses:

• Red rind or washed rind cheese
• White rind or white mould cheese
• Blue-veined or blue rind cheese
• Semi-hard and hard cheeses
• Melting cheese
• Fresh cheese
• Goat's cheese
• Sheep's cheese

Within our range, you can order the following types of French cheeses:

• White rind cheese
• Blue cheese
• Semi-hard and hard cheeses

Brie, Camembert and Roquefort are the most popular French  cheeses.

French cheese with AOC quality mark

The AOC label, in full Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, protects the origin of French cheeses and ensures that they can only be made in certain parts of France. This label therefore prevents numerous different types of 'French cheeses' with the same name from entering the market.

Therefore, for most French cheeses, if you buy a specific cheese, it actually comes from the particular region in Frankrijk and tastes exactly as you expect.

French cheese board

Who doesn't know it? A cheese board with delicious French cheeses. In France, it is customary to eat cheese after a hot meal. Would you like to put together your own cheese board? We give some tips:

• Choose at least 3 types of cheese for the cheese board.
• Choose cheese in flavour strengths from mild to spicy.
• Take the cheese out of the fridge half an hour in advance, so that the soft cheese in particular comes out better.
• Start with the mild cheese and save the spiciest cheese until last.
• Serve something sweet with the cheese. Think figs, fruit chutneys and grapes.
• Don't eat a whole cheese from the board, but instead cut off 1 or 2 pieces per variety.

Buy French cheese online

In our range we have not only cheese from France but also tasty cheeses from Italy, Switzerland and of course our own Dutch cheeses. Tasty and fresh cheeses can be bought easily, safely and quickly online at Cheeseonline.com. The cheeses are vacuum packed and we ship to (almost) any address in The Netherlands and beyond.

Frequently asked questions

Does French cheese smell?

Cheese is full of bacteria, these are not harmful! During the cheese making process, these bacteria come together with yeast. On the outside of the cheese, a new bacterium is created: brevibacterium. This bacterium specifically causes the odour present in French cheese. How bad a piece of French cheese smells is purely personal. French mould cheese varieties have the most intense smell.

How long can French cheese be kept?

How long French cheese keeps depends on the type of cheese. Semi-hard cheeses, such as Morbier and Comté keep for two months in the fridge and about two weeks when opened. Soft cheeses, such as buffalo mozzarella and camembert have the shortest shelf life. One to two weeks in the fridge.

Which wine goes best with French cheese?

Enjoying a cheese board with a good glass of wine? This is something very common in France. We at Cheese Online have listed some cheeses that match well with wine.

• White rind cheese
  With delicious white mould cheeses, dry and white wines are a good match with the cheeseboard. Chardonnay and camembert complement each other beautifully.
• Semi-hard and hard cheeses
  A white dry wine is delicious with a piece of French hard cheese Comté. Think Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc, for example.
• Tangy cheeses and blue cheeses
  A nice soft red wine can match very well with spicy cheese. When drinking red wine, go for us with less tannins. Port is also very tasty with blue-veined cheeses. For instance, spicy French cheeses Saint Agur and Roquefort are the perfect pairing with these wines. Cheeses with cloves or cumin you want to stay away from.
• Goat cheeses
  Not everyone is jumping for joy right away, but a goat cheese on the cheeseboard will definitely do well. The soft French cheese Chèvre paired with a Sauvignon blanc will come into its own.