8 Essential French Cheeses You Should Try at Least Once
The eight French cheeses to try at least once are Brie de Meaux, Comté, a Loire goat cheese (chèvre), Roquefort, Reblochon, Maroilles, Ossau-Iraty and Mimolette. Together they cover the main French cheese families: bloomy rind, cooked pressed, goat, blue, washed rind and uncooked pressed, in cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk.
France has 46 protected-designation (AOP) cheeses and countless local ones. Yes, really.
So if you walk into a French fromagerie for the first time and feel slightly overwhelmed… congratulations, you’re having a very authentic French experience.
Soft, hard, smelly, blue, cooked, uncooked — where do you even start?
Good news: you don’t need to try everything. If you want to understand French cheese without getting lost, start with the icons.
Here are the French cheeses you should try at least once in your life — and why locals love them.
| Cheese | Milk | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Brie de Meaux | Cow | Bloomy rind (soft cheese) |
| Comté | Cow | Cooked pressed cheese |
| Chèvre | Goat | Fresh / soft cheeses |
| Roquefort | Sheep | Blue cheese |
| Reblochon | Cow | Washed rind |
| Maroilles | Cow | Washed rind |
| Ossau-Iraty | Sheep | Uncooked pressed cheese |
| Mimolette | Cow | Uncooked pressed cheese |
1. Brie de Meaux: the real soft cheese benchmark
Milk: Cow
Family: Bloomy rind (soft cheese)
This is the cheese most foreigners think they know… and are shocked to rediscover in France.
Real Brie de Meaux AOP is nothing like the rubbery “brie-style” cheeses found elsewhere. It’s soft, creamy, slightly mushroomy, and melts on the palate.
Key fact: Brie de Meaux is said to have been crowned the “King of Cheeses” at the Congress of Vienna, where European diplomats tasted cheeses from across the continent. Not a bad résumé.
Many guests tell me: “I didn’t know brie could taste like this.” Exactly.
2. Comté: the king of French cheese
Milk: Cow
Family: Cooked pressed cheese (PPC)
If French cheese had a royal family, Comté would be the king. Not flashy — just endlessly respected.
Each 40 kg wheel requires about 400 litres of raw milk, produced exclusively by Montbéliarde or French Simmental cows, and is aged for at least 4 months, often far longer.
Key fact: Comté is the most produced AOP cheese in France, with more than 65,000 tonnes sold in 2024.
Every wheel is scored out of 20 in the aging cellars. Only those scoring 14 or more earn the famous green band.
Same recipe, same rules — yet infinite diversity. That’s Comté. I tell the full story in why Comté is the king of French cheese.
3. Chèvre: from fresh to wild
Milk: Goat
Family: Fresh / soft cheeses
Goat cheese is one of the most misunderstood categories for visitors.
Fresh chèvre is lemony and light. As it ages, it becomes firmer, nuttier, sometimes spicy and earthy.
Key fact: Goat cheese production spread massively in France after Roman times, especially in the Loire Valley, where shapes, aging styles, and ash coatings became true regional signatures.
If you think you “don’t like goat cheese”, chances are you’ve only tried one version.
4. Roquefort: blue cheese with attitude
Milk: Sheep
Family: Blue cheese
Roquefort is bold, salty, creamy, and absolutely unapologetic.
Key fact: It is often described as the first cheese in history to receive legal protection, centuries before modern AOP labels existed.
The mold develops naturally in the limestone caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, creating its unique balance of power and creaminess.
Strong, yes — but incredibly refined.
5. Reblochon: a cheese born to avoid taxes
Milk: Cow
Family: Washed rind
Reblochon is creamy, gentle, and dangerously easy to love.
Key fact: Reblochon was invented in the Middle Ages when farmers deliberately milked their cows only partially to avoid paying taxes — then finished milking later to make this richer cheese.
Today, it’s the star of tartiflette, one of France’s most iconic comfort dishes.
6. Maroilles: smells loud, tastes gentle
Milk: Cow
Family: Washed rind
Maroilles smells intense. There’s no marketing trick here.
Key fact: In northern France, Maroilles has been eaten since the Middle Ages — nowadays even at breakfast, dipped into coffee. Yes. Really.
Despite the smell, the taste is sweet, meaty, and surprisingly balanced.
7. Ossau-Iraty: the legendary sheep’s milk cheese
Milk: Sheep
Family: Uncooked pressed cheese (PPNC)
Ossau-Iraty is the soul of the Pyrenees in cheese form.
Key fact: This cheese is deeply linked to transhumance — the seasonal movement of flocks to high-altitude pastures (estive). While not all Ossau-Iraty is made in summer, the tradition shaped its identity. It is a good example of how the seasons change a cheese.
Historically, shepherds relied on this cheese as a durable, nourishing food during long months in the mountains.
Its flavor is nutty, slightly sweet, and incredibly elegant.
8. Mimolette: the cheese with mites
Milk: Cow
Family: Uncooked pressed cheese (PPNC)
Mimolette is bright orange, hard, and impossible to ignore.
Key fact: Its rough rind is created by tiny mites (acariens) that live on the surface. They’re not a defect — they help the cheese breathe and mature properly.
Originally developed to replace Dutch Edam during trade conflicts, Mimolette became a proud French original.
Young, it’s firm and slightly sweet. Aged, it becomes crumbly, intense, and almost caramelized.
Want to go deeper into French cheese families and tasting basics? Read how to choose French cheese without getting lost.
FAQ
Which French cheese should I try first?
Start with Brie de Meaux and Comté. They are the benchmarks for soft and hard French cheese, and both are easy to find in any Paris fromagerie.
Which French cheese is the strongest?
Maroilles has the most powerful smell on this list, and Roquefort the most intense taste. Both are gentler in the mouth than their reputation suggests.
Are the mites on Mimolette safe?
Yes. The mites live on the rind and help the cheese breathe and mature. The rind is brushed and is not eaten.
Is all French goat cheese the same?
No. Fresh chèvre is lemony and light, while aged chèvre is firmer, nuttier and sometimes spicy. Try several ages before deciding you don’t like it.
Want to taste these like a local in Paris?
This journey through the cheese families is what I do during my cheese and wine tasting in Paris. The tasting lasts 2 hours and includes 8 raw-milk French cheeses and 5 French wines (including one sparkling), for a maximum of 12 guests, at €69 per person. Every tasting is hosted in English by a trained cheesemonger or sommelier at 98 Rue Marcadet, 75018 Paris (Montmartre, metro Jules Joffrin, line 12), and every direct booking comes with 1 free bottle of wine (2 for groups of 6 or more).
Join a cheese and wine tasting in Paris
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