Say Fromage:
An Expat's Love Affair with French Cheese
by Adrian Leeds

They all said to me..."But, you don't like cheese!" And I replied..."True, but you don't have to love cheese to bring it."

Shocked and amazed that there were eight different varieties of French cheeses on a wooden board with a crusty baguette on the table of my friend's apartment, my Los Angeles friends immediately thought I had smuggled them in.

"Mais, non, mes amis." Except for some cheeses and with certain restrictions, it's perfectly legal, and if they are vacuum-packed, no problem at all (which also eliminates the odor)! And there are lots of "fromageries" all over Paris ready, willing and able to prepare it for you for travel.

By the end of the evening, the aroma was becoming more pungent by the moment, as they became runnier and gooey-er, the "morceaux" smaller...in the correct shapes, I might add, after teaching them HOW to cut a round cheese into wedges or slice into a wedge-shaped cheese along one side.

Depending on your affinity for "les fromages," the odiferous nature may either send your senses straight to heaven or bowl you over into an unconscious state. I have friends on both sides of the fence, but one thing seems to be certain: France is a nation of cheese-lovers.

Since there are over 500 cheeses in France to choose from, it's no wonder the 18th-century French writer Brillart-Savarin, declared that "a meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye." Many are new industrial-made, but still, there is no shortage of smelly cheeses made from raw, unpasteurized milk. (Funny that we have the French themselves -- specifically, Louis Pasteur -- to thank for inventing Pasteurization).

In Paris, farm made, or "artisanal" cheeses can be purchased just about everywhere, including the average supermarket. Open-air markets are great for finding quality cheeses, but there are several "fromageries" in Paris you can count on for having the best. The cheeses packaged in the markets ARE NOT vaccuum-packed, so it's best to visit a fromagerie to have them properly prepared for traveling. If you don't see a sign for "sous vide," then be sure to ask before ordering up an array only to discover you'll be downing them before you plane takes off.

Patricia Wells has said that Alléosse at 13 rue Poncelet in the 17th is the best cheese shop in Paris. They offer a wide selection of cheeses from France, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. The Alléosse family has seven cellars under their store where they pamper their cheeses to perfection. There is always a line out the door -- proof the locals agree with Patricia.

To taste cheeses in a relaxed way, there are a few cheese-only restaurants, newly coined "cheese bars," that offer a good selection. Just around the corner from place de la Madeleine, at 21 rue Vignon in the 8th, La Ferme Saint-Hubert (tel. 01.47.42.79.20; website: http://www.fermesainthubert.com/) is a cheese-lover's dream come true. It's both a shop and a restaurant.

Owner, Henry Voy is a master at his craft. He will help you put together your own "assiette de fromages," or you can order up one of his homemade cheese dishes, such as "Fondues Savoyardes," "Feuilleté au Roquefort" or "Croquettes au Camembert." The wine list is long so it's easy to choose something perfect to accompany any cheese.

If you're a novice at cheese tasting, overwhelmed by the array of cheeses that qualify under the "l'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" (AOC), but want to be well-versed before stepping into Alléosse or La Ferme Saint-Hubert, click here for an excellent list of more than 200 French cheeses with complete descriptions of each: http://www.cheese.com/countrystep2.asp?country=france

P.S. You may bring cheese for personal consumption into the United States, provided it does not contain a liquid (such as cottage cheese), and contains no meat or vegetable materials. Miss Susan Collins, USDA, APHIS, VS, NCIE

About the Author

Adrian Leeds has been living in Paris nine years. She is the director of the International Living Paris office and president of Adrian Leeds Group, LLC, her Internet U.S. based company. She is the author of the "Insider Paris Guide for Good Value Restaurants" published by International Living, the result of her insatiable desire for great food at bargain prices, writes the Parler Paris email newsletter, and co-hosts her own brainchild, the popular Parler Parlor French/English Conversation Group in Paris where members from almost 50 different countries meet to practice speaking French and English. Email : Info@AdrianLeeds.com