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Buying French Cheese

French cheeses are delicate forms of cheese, thus, it requires careful handling. Aside from that you need to be careful in selecting only the best cheese that you could have. Anything that’s out of the ordinary should be rejected and replaced immediately.

For authentic French cheese, you need to look at the label of AOC. AOC stands for Appellation d’Origine Côntrolée. This is the group that regulates the creation of these types of cheese. Not only do they control how a certain French cheese is made, they are also in charge in making sure that the milk, the main ingredient, is from the place of origin. For example, the cheese of camembert with an AOC label can only come from the cows that were raised and milked in Camembert. With this label, even the pasteurization of the cheese was even made there, and by the time it reaches your table, it’s already in perfect form. This label also assures that the traditional form of creating a form of cheese is observed. You may be charged a bit higher, but you’ll be assured of the authenticity.

However, you don’t just blindly purchase any cheese with the label of AOC. There are also cheeses created by mom and pop shops that are almost of the same quality. The first indication of a badly made cheese is when you see discoloration in some parts of it. In the old days, you’re were supposed to see these discolorations since they were often aged in the open air. However, with new and better technology you should have a cheese without the undesirable colors. A great cheese should not have cracks or mold in any of these parts. Cracks in some parts of the cheese indicate that they were not aged well or the makers of this cheese didn’t really follow the instructions, or they didn't have ingredients to make the perfect cheese. Mold should definitely be avoided as it is a sign of an unclean environment.

There’s a type of cheese that’s exempted from the rules of cracks and molds. The good Blue cheese and Roquefort cheeses are supposed to have cracks and molds. If you look at the galleries of Blue cheese displayed online, the award winning Blue cheese will have sports of molds located on the surface.

The package is also important in selecting a good French cheese. They should be packaged really tight so that air will not seap in. This will prevent the molds from forming and other undesirable objects from entering the cheese. This will also prevent it from getting wet as much as possible.

You might be confused about where to buy your French cheese. You could go to a very big market of French cheese where most French cheese variations could be found. On the other hand, mom and pop French cheese shops also have their own advantages. The good thing about big markets is of course its variation. But be sure that you’re talking with an expert on it. Small shops are perfect for giving you tips on the good cheese that they have in store.

Before you buy anything, check your cheese. The factors that we just mentioned should be enough to guide you in getting the best cheese that you can find on the market.

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