From rich blue Roquefort to creamy Camembert, the average Frenchman buys 12.5 kilos of cheese a year, but the way he consumes it varies.
Cheese is a food synonymous with France, but while it remains a French staple, the way it is consumed is beginning to change.
Fromagerie Quatrehomme is a famous Parisian boutique that opened in the 1950s and has been selling cheese for over 70 years.
It sells about 300 different types of cheese, from the conical Boulette d’Avesnes, made from cow’s milk in northern France, to various goat cheeses from the Loire Valley, the Alps and other regions.
“I think traditionally we serve a cheese board after the main course and before dessert. This is the traditional way of serving a cheese platter in France,” explains Nathalie Quatrehomme, owner of Fromagerie Quatrehomme.
“But I think this traditional way of eating cheese is evolving. Today you can eat cheese only with meat, you can eat cheese as a starter, not after the main meal. You can eat cheese for breakfast. We’ve really changed the way we eat cheese, and that’s good,” he explains.
Cheese is big business
According to the OIC, in 2022, France exported cheese worth 3.5 billion euros and imported about 2.5 billion euros.
According to the National Dairy Industry Council (CNIEL), the dairy sector also represents about 300,000 jobs in the country.
Fromagerie Quatrehomme has a job because it is one of the rare cheese factories in Paris with its own cellar.
Underground workers tend to the cheese wheels, cleaning out unwanted bacteria and dealing with rinds that need to be turned regularly.
Some are brushed to remove unwanted bacteria.
“We keep them in different places, we have different types of cellars here, it depends on their maturity. Some cheeses need more humidity, others need a drier atmosphere, some cheeses need to be sugared or creamed, and others need to be washed. That’s why we adapt our care to the different needs of the cheese,” explains Quatrehomme.
Parisians want French cheeses
Quatrehomme now has five stores around Paris, but this cheese shop on the border of the 6th and 7th arrondissements is authentic and has loyal customers.
“I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and the best place is here. But I have to tell you that the best place is not only for the neighborhood, not even for Paris, not for France, not for Europe, but the best place in the world. Exceptional cheeses, seriously. I couldn’t go anywhere else,” admits the customer.
And Parisians know what they want: French cheeses.
“French cheeses are the best, I assure you. They have taste. They have a very soft and creamy texture, so you obviously want to eat them every day,” says another customer.
“I take it every day, either at lunch or in the evening, with a green salad and a good Bordeaux at 12 in the evening after a good meal,” he said.
Four generations of the same family sell cheese in Quatrehomme.
They intend to supply Paris with all the Comte, Brie and Roquefort it needs for generations to come.