OK, cheesy joke headline aside, cheese really is a French favorite, and the latest figures show a per capita consumption of 25.9 kilos of cheese for every man, woman and petit enfant in the country.
According to the International Dairy Federation, that puts France way ahead of its competitors. Way down the list come the U.S. with 15.4 kg and Britain with only 11.6 kg apiece. And the French eat it with regularity; in a survey, 47% percent reported eating cheese daily, and only 4% don’t eat cheese at all. What they’re missing!
With all those customers, it’s not surprising how many kinds of French cheese there are. When Gen. de Gaulle once said in exasperation “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” he was on the low side. There are around 400 varieties, and with sub-varieties it’s estimated to go over 1000.
For more information, and some truly luscious cheese pictures from TheLocal.fr, click HERE
Photo: x1klima/Flickr
