List of French cheeses


This is a list of French cheeses. While there are about 1,600 distinct types of French cheese, they are grouped into eight categories, 'les huit familles de fromage'. There can be many varieties within each type of cheese, leading some to claim closer to 1,000 different types of French cheese.
In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, "How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?"

Protected designation of origin

Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established cheeses, including many French varieties, are covered by a protected designation of origin, and other, less stringent, designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities, such as the French appellation d'origine contrôlée system, the Italian denominazione di origine controllata system, and the Spanish Denominación de origen system.
French cheese production is classified under four categories, and PDO/AOC rules dictate which category or categories each protected cheese may be assigned to:
Some cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. The majority are classified as Appellation d'origine contrôlée, the highest level of protection. Some are also protected under the less stringent but still legally regulated designation Label Régional. A few French cheeses are protected under the European Union's Protected Geographic Indication designation. Many familiar generic types, like Boursin, are not covered, while others originally from other countries, such as Emmental cheese, may have certain varieties protected as a French cheese. This list differs from those of AOC status.
CheeseYear designated AOCProducing regionType of milkDesignation
Abondance1990Haute-SavoieCowAOC
Banon2003Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurGoatAOC
Beaufort1968SavoieCowAOC
Bleu d'Auvergne1975AuvergneCowAOC
Bleu des Causses1979Midi-PyrénéesCowAOC
Bleu de Gex, du Haut-Jura, or de Septmoncel1977Franche-ComtéCowAOC
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage1998Rhône-AlpesCowAOC
Brie de Meaux1980Île-de-FranceCowAOC
Brie de Melun1980Île-de-FranceCowAOC
Brillat-Savarin2015BurgundyCowPGI
Brocciu Cara or Brocciu1983CorsicaSheepAOC
Cabécou1988Midi-PyrénéesGoatAOC
Cancoillotten/aFranche-ComtéCowLR
Cantal, Fourme de Cantal, or Cantalet1956AuvergneCowAOC
Camembert de Normandie1983NormandyCowAOC
Cazelle de Saint Affriquen/aMidi-Pyrénées, Aveyron DepartmentSheepAOC
Chabichou du Poitou1990Poitou-CharentesGoatAOC
Chaource1970Champagne-ArdenneCowAOC
Chevrotin2002Savoie and Haute-SavoieGoatAOC
Comté1952Franche-ComtéCowAOC
Crottin de Chavignol1976Centre-Val de LoireGoatAOC
Emmental de Savoien/aSavoieCowPGI
Emmental français est-centraln/aFranche-ComtéCowPGI
Époisses de Bourgogne2004BurgundyCowAOC
FaisselleRiansCow, Goat, Sheep
Fourme d'Ambert1972AuvergneCowAOC
Fourme de Montbrison1972AuvergneCowAOC
Fromage blanc
Fromage frais
Laguiole1961AuvergneCowAOC
Langres1991Champagne-ArdenneCowAOC
Livarot1972NormandyCowAOC
Mâconnais2006BurgundyGoatAOC
Maroilles or Marolles1976Nord-Pas-de-CalaisCowAOC
Mimoletten/aNord-Pas-de-CalaisCowLR
Mont d'or, or Vacherin du Haut-Doubs2006Franche-ComtéCowAOC
Morbier2000Franche-ComtéCowAOC
Munster or Munster-Géromé1969Alsace and Vosges départements in Lorraine CowAOC
Neufchâtel1969NormandyCowAOC
Ossau-lraty1980AquitaineSheepAOC
Pélardon2000Languedoc-RoussillonGoatAOC
Picodon de l'Ardèche or de la Drôme1983Rhône-AlpesGoatAOC
Pont-l'Évêque1976NormandyCowAOC
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre1972Centre-Val de LoireGoatAOC
Reblochon or Reblochon de Savoie1958Savoie and Haute-SavoieCowAOC
Rigotte de Condrieu2008LyonGoatAOC
Rocamadour1996Midi-PyrénéesGoatAOC
Roquefort1925Midi-PyrénéesSheepAOC
Sainte-Maure de Touraine1990Centre-Val de LoireGoatAOC
Saint-Nectaire1955AuvergneCowAOC
Saint-Félicienn/aRhône-AlpesCowLR
Salers1979AuvergneCowAOC
Selles-sur-Cher1975Centre-Val de LoireGoatAOC
2002SavoieCowAOC
Tome fraîchen/aAuvergne and AubracCowAOC
Tomme de Savoie and Haute-Savoien/aSavoieCowPGI
Tomme des Pyrénéesn/aMidi-PyrénéesCowPGI
Trou du Crun/aBurgundy, Côte-d'Or DepartmentCowAOC
Valençay1998Centre-Val de LoireGoatAOC

Other cheeses