| Charles de Gaulle once commented that "You can unite the French only through fear. You cannot simply bring together a country that has over 265 kinds of cheese". For serious cheese-lovers, France is the ultimate paradise. Other countries may produce individual cheeses which are as good as, or even better than, the best of the French, but no country offers a range that comes anywhere near them in terms of sheer inventiveness. In fact, there are officially about 340 types of French cheese, whose recipes are jealously guarded secrets. Many cheese-makers have successfully protected their products by AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée), laws similar to those for wines, which limit the amount of cheese that a particular area can produce, meaning that the subtle differences between French local cheeses have not been overwhelmed by the industrialized uniformity that has plagued other countries. The best, or most traditional, restaurants keep a well-stocked plateau de fromages (cheeseboard), kept at room temperature and served with bread, but not butter. Apart from the ubiquitous Brie, Camembert and numerous varieties of goat's cheese (chèvre), there will usually be one or two local cheeses on offer – these are the ones to go for. Your best bet for local produce is a fromagerie, which often has 200 varieties or more to choose from. We've indicated the best regional cheeses throughout the Guide.
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