There is danger in the stable! The slightly outdated Camembert, the thunderous Roquefort, the Vieux-Lille capable of anesthetizing the palate… in short, all the cheeses leaving an unforgettable and sometimes painful memory on your taste buds are in danger.
According to the latest FranceAgriMer survey of 20,000 households, the sale of cheese recorded a drop of 3.3% in 2022 compared to the previous year, in particular because of the surge in prices. But, above all, we observe a persistent disavowal of strong cheeses. Thus, the Emmental budget (the leading cheese consumed in France) is today four times larger than that devoted to Camembert and thirty times larger than that devoted to Munster.
“The French say they are proud to love stinky cheese, but above all they buy products that have little personality”, notes Pierre Coulon. This former shepherd, who created his own cheese factory in the Parisian district of Goutte-d’Or, La Laiterie de Paris, has published a wealth of information on dairy products in 2022 in the book The Good Knowledge of cheese (First Edition, 2022), inviting readers in particular has “risk yourself with strong cheeses”. “We must not forget that the vast majority of cheese is purchased in supermarkets, he reminds. Even products that could have a little power, like Camembert or raclette, rarely have pronounced flavors. »
Nathalie Quatrehomme, head of the prestigious Quatrehomme cheese factory founded by her grandparents (today five locations between Paris and its suburbs), makes the same observation. “We standardized the flavors, she regrets. We sell soft, sweet, easy to swallow products. And today we imagine that toddlers cannot appreciate strong cheese. However, if you only give Kiri to a child, he risks finding Brie too strong. But if we often offer him brie, he might try Epoisses! »
For the boss, this learning must begin very early, without forcing, but giving the opportunity to taste. “You don’t have to like powerful cheeses, but avoiding them at all costs means depriving yourself of a palette of incredible flavors”, she justifies. In November, the cheesemaker sponsored the Cheese & Wine Week festival, which took place in the capital and in Savoie (in dozens of establishments between Aix-les-Bains and Yenne): a way of celebrating cheeses in all their diversity and their reliefs, with a focus this year on well-refined Beauforts.
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