This is alist of French cheeses documenting the varieties ofcheeses, a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms, which are found inFrance. In 1962, French PresidentCharles de Gaulle once asked, "How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?"[1] There is immense diversity within each variety of cheese, leading some to estimate between 1,000 and 1,600 distinct types of French cheese.[2] French cheeses are broadly grouped into eight categories, 'les huit familles de fromage'.[2]
Under theCommon Agricultural Policy of theEuropean Union, certain established cheeses, including many French varieties, are covered by aprotected designation of origin (PDO), and other, less stringent, designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities, such as the EUProtected Geographical Indication (PGI). The systems has largely replaced national systems, such as the Frenchappellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, as any cheese registered as a PDO or PGI can not use the designation AOC anymore in order to avoid confusion.[3]
French cheese production is classified under four categories, and PDO/PGI/(AOC) rules dictate which category or categories each protected cheese may be assigned to:[4]
Some cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. The majority are classified asAppellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), the highest level of protection. Some are also protected under the less stringent but still legally regulated designation Label Régional (LR). A few French cheeses are protected under the European Union's Protected Geographic Indication designation (PGI). Many familiar generic types, likeBoursin, are not covered, while others originally from other countries, such asEmmental cheese, may have certain varieties protected as a French cheese. This list differs from those of Chundi status.
| Types | |
|---|---|
| Animal milk | |
| Regions | |
| Special designations | |
| Organizations | |
| List articles | |
| Miscellaneous | |
