In Cheese Country

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>There are many stereotypes about the French. And most of them aren't true. French people don't all wear a beret and sport a curly moustache, and walk around with a baguette in one hand and a cigarette in the other. But some of these stereotypes stick for a good reason. French people love cheese. Cheese is to the French, what rice is to South Indians: it comes with every meal. And French people don't just eat cheese. They eat 246 different varieties of cheese - though that figure is the subject of a much-heated debate in France. Charles de Gaulle, the famous French general and statesman who led the Free Forces during World War II, once famously asked: "How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kind of cheese?"<br><br>Almost every region in France has its own cheese - made from cow or goat milk, soft or hard, mild or stinky - produced according to different traditions and techniques. One could tour France for a year and still not find time to discover them all. Here are some suggestions:<br><br>Every voyage to France starts with Paris. Because Paris is one of the most mesmerising cities in the world, but also simply because wherever you are from, chances are that you will be landing at Charles de Gaulle airport, about 25 km outside Paris.<br><br>While you will find a great variety of cheese in Paris's bustling markets, which spring up on every street corner on Sunday mornings, few are actually made locally. Brie is, however, one of them, and one of the country's most popular cheese. It's also a good way to dive in for the faint hearted who may not be used to the good old French cheese with a strong taste and smell. Le Brie - pronounce "bri" and not "bry", or nobody in Paris will have the faintest clue what you are talking about - is a soft cheese made from cow milk, pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mold. Like most French cheese, it is named after the region from which it originated - la Brie - now known as Seine-et-Marne, a province close to Paris. It is best appreciated with a good piece of 'baguette' just out of the oven of one of the city's many 'boulangeries'. You can find a pasteurised version - this processing is mandatory in the US and Australia - of it in supermarkets, though it is frowned upon by most Parisians who prefer to buy it directly from producers.<br><br>By now, your taste buds should be ready for something a bit stronger, so hop on a train to Normandy. A picturesque region north to Paris, it is known for one of the country's most famous cheese: le Camembert. Its reputation and its strong pungent smell precedes it, although it is somewhat exaggerated. According to how old the cheese is, its taste will vary greatly. So if you cannot handle that strong taste, make sure to buy your Camembert young and firm. The longer you keep it, the stronger the taste and smell will become. Whichever way you like it, Camembert is a classic French cheese, and one that you just must try out.</p> <table align="center" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="/businessworld/sites/default/files/cheese_450x300.jpg" alt="CHEESY AFFAIR: (Clockwise from top left) Brie, Comté, Rocamadour and le Camembert are some of the celebrated cheese" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="450" height="300"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><span style="font-size: small; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">CHEESY AFFAIR: (Clockwise from top left) Brie, Comté, Rocamadour and le Camembert are some of the celebrated cheese</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;">break-page-break<br>Although not as well known as Camembert, Munster - not to be confused with America's Muenster - made in Lorraine, a region close to the German border, is for true cheese enthusiasts. The name Munster comes from the little town of Munster, where, among Vosgian abbeys and monasteries, the cheese was traditionally conserved and matured in monks' cellars. It tastes strong and powerful, especially if you let it mature for a few days. A glass of strong red wine - like Côte-Rôties, Corton, Haut-Médoc, or Pinot rouge d'Alsace - goes well with it. If the cheese is young, opt instead for a late harvest Gewürztraminer, a white wine from Alsace with floral notes.<br> <br> From there, travel south to Franche-Comté. That's the region where the famous Comté, a hard cheese with a dusty brown and a pale creamy yellow paste rind, is made. After the Camembert and the Munster, this may come as a welcome break. While the Comté is also fairly strong in taste, it is slightly sweet, so usually fares well even with those who may not be die-hard cheese lovers. It is only made of milk from Montbeliarde cattle - a red and white cow from the region. Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into huge copper vats where it is warmed. Rennet is added causing the milk to coagulate. The curds are cut into tiny white grains that are then stirred before being heated again. The preparation is then placed into moulds, the whey pressed out, and finally left to mature in cellars for months.<br> <br> Travel 300 km south west and you will hit the mountains of Auvergne, once well known as a fierce bastion of the French resistance during World War II. Today, it is better known for its blue cheese: le Bleu d'Auvergne. It may not be for everyone: its appearance is somewhat unappetising and it has a strong smell. Le Bleu d'Auvergne is moist and its texture slightly sticky, shot through with blue veins against an ivory coloured paste. But if you are adventurous enough to take a bite, you won't regret it, especially if you pair it up with a sweet wine like a Sauternes.<br> <br> If you can handle le Bleu d'Auvergne, then you should also try its more famous counterpart, the Roquefort, made in the Midi-Pyrénées region, just south of Auvergne. Though fairly similar in appearance and taste, the Roquefort - also a blue cheese - is usually a bit more salty and tangy. Another famous cheese in the region is the Rocamadour, a small round goat cheese, named after a beautiful historical French village, set in a gorge above a tributary of the Dordogne river, in the French province, le Lot. It is best enjoyed on a slice of 'pain de campagne' (country bread) - a large round loaf made from a natural leavening, and a glass of Cahors - a local red wine.<br> <br> If you are really fond of goat cheese, better head for the Centre region, the largest producer of cheese made from goat milk. The Crottin de Chavignol, a small cylindrical cheese, is made in the area around the village of Chavignol in the Loire Valley - a region referred to as the Garden of France because of its many vineyards, orchards and cherry fields that line the banks of the river, and known for its more than 300 Renaissance-era castles. The Selles-sur-Cher, a goat cheese with a persistent after-taste, is another favourite in the Centre region, as well as the Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, a golden brown cheese with speckles of grey-blue mould, distinctive because of its pyramidal shape and sometimes called Eiffel tower.<br> <br> Before making your way back to Paris, make sure to eat to your heart's content. Cheese does not travel well. Nor will your neighbour in the flight, if you elect to bring some home with you.<br><br></p> <table align="center" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="/businessworld/sites/default/files/cheese_02_600x297.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" height="297"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><span style="font-size: small; color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">BON APPETIT (Clockwise From top left) le Bleu d'Auvergne, Crottin de Chavignol and Saint Félicie</span><br></td> </tr> </tbody> </table>