It's safe to say that the French have a love affair with their cheese. Cheese plays such an important part of French culinary culture – that it's hard for them to imagine life without it. It's estimated that 96 percent of French people eat cheese, and almost half of them eat it daily.
Regular, early exposure to a wide variety of flavours, textures – not to mention some very funky smells – turns each generation of French children into adult connoisseurs. This is why French people love cheese so much.
To further demonstrate its significance, data show that a French person consumes 26.5 kilograms of cheese per year on average.
France is famously known for having more cheeses than there are days in the year. Some are very widespread and available in every supermarket, some are regionally specific, and others are local to a village or community only.
French usually eat cheese after the main dish and before the dessert. It can be served at lunch and at dinner. In Paris, it's widely acceptable to eat cheese at any time of day—breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or whenever the urge strikes. Many restaurants offer une assiette de fromage ( cheese plate) on their menu.
Cheese plays such an important part of French culinary culture – that it's hard for them to imagine life without it. It's estimated that 96 percent of French people eat cheese, and almost half of them eat it daily.
The International Dairy Federation estimates that France holds the title for the most cheese consumed in a year per capita, but Italy boasts a close second.
1. Camembert. Camembert is one of the first cheeses we associated with France, so it's no wonder it tops the list at number one.
One of the reasons that Switzerland is the cheese capital of the world is that cheese has become such an integral part of its cuisine and that of others.
The countries least affected by cheese consumption also have their ranking. We find China (0.1 kg per person), Mongolia (0.3 kg per person) and Zimbabwe (0.6 kg per person).
Natural antioxidants in wine, which are also found in tea, grapes and other fruits, help keep LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in a less-damaging form. French wine drinkers also tend to practice several healthy habits like keeping active and eating more than an average amount of vegetables and beans.
Butter is a signature ingredient for many recipes, but never has it figured more prominently than in French cuisine. From baked goods to savory items, butter is thought to add depth and dimension, making everything it coats more spectacular. While French food relies on butter, many diets, especially vegan ones, do not.
Bread in France: It's a Staple
Most French people eat bread every day. It's not just a cliché, bread in France is a staple and something most people care about.
French people are advised to eat un produit laitier (dairy product) like milk or yogurt (cheese is completely unheard-of at breakfast in France) and some fruit at breakfast, as well, but they don't always follow the rules.
MOZZARELLA – THE WORLD's MOST POPULAR CHEESE.
Italy and France are the two biggest cheese powerhouses, each with numerous cheese regions known across the world. But what differentiates their cheeses? Italy has over 2500 traditional varieties of cheese. In terms of volume, only France and Germany produce more cheese than Italy.
Camembert: A cheese from Normandy, Camembert is perhaps the most famous French cheese, and is known and imitated worldwide.
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, Italy
Also known as the “King of Cheeses,” Parmigiano Reggiano has a long lineage stretching back hundreds of years.
Pule cheese is the most expensive cheese in the world because it is produced exclusively at Serbia's Zasavica Special Nature Reserve. This rare cheese is made from the milk of Balkan donkeys which are endangered and native to Serbia and Montenegro.
The earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5500 BCE and is found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been found. Cheesemaking may have begun independently of this by the pressing and salting of curdled milk to preserve it.
It's no secret some of the best cheese in the world comes from France, Switzerland and Italy.
The country with the highest per capita consumption of fluid milk in 2022 was Belarus. The average person in Belarus consumed about 114.9 kilograms of milk in that year. Ukraine came in second with approximately 113.27 kilograms of fluid milk per person.