Gastronomic heathen leave French cheese on the shelf

The Times ^ | April 26, 2003 | Charles Bremner

[MadIvan]

SOME Americans may link France’s love of cheese with a propensity for surrender, but the European nation is being urged today to fight off hostile forces threatening the cherished product. In an exercise backed by celebrity chefs, farmers and guardians of the Gallic soul, the country is celebrating a National Cheese Day.

The aim is to focus attention on the plight of the traditional pungent fromage as it loses out to processed, industrially made cheeses favoured by Americans and other gastronomic heathen.

With an annual consumption of 4st (56lb or 25.4kg) of cheese per citizen, France remains the world leader, but ignorance, fashion and foreign plots are being blamed for the declining share of heritage cheeses — the unpasteurised fromages au lait cru.

Real camembert, brie, coulommiers, reblechon and the other 300 or so crusty fermentations of French history are being shunned by health-conscious younger consumers worried about fat, calories and unpasteurised cheese.

Despite a fashion for authentic eating and drinking, “historic” cheeses’ share of the market has declined to 13 per cent as consumption has been swollen by so-called “photocopy” fromages and aliens, such as feta and cheddar.

Brussels is blamed for draconian rules to eliminate listeria and other bacteria, so forcing farmers and other small producers out of business. Defenders of real cheese cite evidence that bacteria in unpasteurised cheese is vital for good health.

The danger signal came two years ago, when emmenthal, borrowed from Switzerland in the 1950s, overtook Normandy’s camembert as the country’s favourite.

Philippe Olivier, a cheesemonger from Boulogne, said that up to 40 historic cheeses were “dormant”, including Tomme de Barcasse in the Vosges and rollot in Picardy.

Martine Dubois, a Paris fromager, recalled that mothers used to lace babies’ bottles with roquefort, the Massif Central’s blue ewe’s cheese.

Some blame the “AngloSaxons” directly for the demise of France’s “white gold”. Jean-Pierre Poulain, an anthropology professor at Toulouse University, said that the health-obsessed Protestant north was doing its best to stamp out smelly cheese. “These cheeses truly divide the Old Continent between north and south.”

Véronique Richez-Lerouge, director of the Cheese Day, said that she began it last year because the traditional, or terroir, cheese-makers were doing a poor job selling themselves: “Public opinion is waking up and demanding a return to natural product, so now is the ideal time to promote fromages au lait cru.”

[MadIvan]

Sorry, I'm laughing my head off. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[steveo]

recalled that mothers used to lace babies’ bottles with roquefort,

Now that would explain a lot.

[Ancesthntr]

With an annual consumption of 4st (56lb or 25.4kg) of cheese per citizen, ...

...most of whom resemble monkeys waiving white flags.

[MadIvan]

It does explain a lot doesn't it? The French are utterly crazy.

Regards, Ivan

[tortoise]

I have to say, I am pretty fond of French cheese. Right now at home I have some Saint Agur, a French Roquefort, along with some other non-French imports (like some Spanish Valdeon and Italian buffalo Mozarella). Americans make some good cheeses, but our blues pretty much suck as a rule. I haven't found one that could hold up favorably against some of the better French blues despite having tried essentially every one on the market. The Spanish make some good blues (as do the English), but they are a totally different style and taste.

That the French would make an ISSUE of it is ridiculous though. It is pretty sad when your national identity revolves around cheese.

[microgood]

The aim is to focus attention on the plight of the traditional pungent fromage as it loses out to processed, industrially made cheeses favoured by Americans and other gastronomic heathen.

I do not think I have ever been called a gastronomic heathen before. Thems fighting words.

[Cockroach]

I sure miss my Camembert...

[Loyalist]

Let them eat moose.

[Timesink]

HEY FRANCE!

KISS THIS!

[discostu]

It's not the French love of cheese. It's the French love of stinky nasty dripping disgusting cheese. If they ate good cheese, cheese you couldn't smell from two doors down the hall, cheese you could actually slice, cheese that didn't taste like pond scum, then we wouldn't be able to ridicule them over it. Notice nobody give the Brits guff over their cheese, that's because cheddar is good. We give the Brits guff for boiling all the flavor from their meat.

[F.J. Mitchell]

"National Cheese day"-better known as "prune juice day", eve.

[Humidston]

favoured by Americans and other gastronomic heathen.

Tisk tisk... But they sure love our money, don't they?

[ricpic]

I'm a big fan of English stilton. But I'm no aficionado. You seem to be one. Does stilton, in your opinion, measure up to comparable types of French cheese.

[annyokie]

IMO, the Amish make a very good blue cheese.

[xJones]

...and guardians of the Gallic soul

What an easy job. It's like guarding a hen house after all the chickens have gone, and only the chicken "droppings" are left.

[Great Dane]

Slightly off topic, a Danish pizzaria owner is being taken to court for being politically incorrect....... he refuses to sell pizza's to the French and Germans. :-}

[Darheel]

"a cheesemonger from Boulogne"

Mongered any cheese lately? lol. He should go to the beach, for the sand-which-is-there.

"Martine Dubois, a Paris fromager"

Scary. Probably hairy.

[Beth]

"gastronomic heathen"? This is the lamest attempt to get us to buy french.

I want a "gastronomic heathen on board" bumper sticker for my car!! LOL!

[gcruse]

That's a smooth spread.