French Cheeses: The Visual Guide to More Than 350 Cheeses from Every Region of France [Paperback]

Kazuko Masui & Tomoko Yamada (Author), Yohei Maruyama (Photographer), Joel Robuchon (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000 | Series: DK Handbooks

A mouth-watering guide to more than 350 cheeses from every region of France, this definitive reference captures a vast array of savory fromages. Designed for both amateur enthusiasts and serious gourmets, this easy-to-use book enables readers to appreciate the flavors and the process of cheesemaking. Organized alphabetically, each cheese, its seasonal availability, regional origin, and properties are described concisely and clearly. Accompanying the entries are invaluable photographs of the cheese in its various states, both outward bulk and sliced through, for easy identification. In addition, every listing offers wine recommendations by international connoisseurs Robert and Isabelle Vifian, and includes tips for storing, serving, and sampling. To meet the needs of vacationing Epicureans who wish to truly taste the flavors of France, a detailed region-by-region listing of cheese producers, shops, and markets is featured. Additional chapters focus on the origins and history of French cheese, and follow the cheesemaking cycle throughout the year. A special glossary of French terminology related to cheese and its production is included. From recognizing more than a dozen blue cheeses to enjoying fromage frais, this book is an ideal quick reference to selecting and identifying French cheeses at home, in your local cheese shop, or, better yet, while traveling in France.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The magnificent illustrations in this book are characteristic of the "Eyewitness Handbook" series: glossy color photographs, so finely reproduced that the subtlest shades of white, beige, gray, yellow and brown come alive. A complimentary foreword by the great chef Joel Robuchon concurs. Beyond the excellent visuals, however, is voluminous information on over 350 cheeses made in France. A concise introduction serves not only as a guide to interpreting each entry's economically arranged information but also to alert the reader that attention will be given to methods of production, aroma, taste, fat content, milk-type, and the ideal accompanying drinks. Included are a small glossary, a short bibliography, and even a directory of French cheese shops and markets at the end. Don't be put off by the somewhat narrow subject?here is a necessary selection for any collection with a sophisticated respect for food.?Wendy Miller, Lexington P.L., Ky.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Although many guides to the art of fromagerie exist, none provide such visual detail and at-a-glance information as Masui and Yamada. They categorize 350 cheeses in a dictionary format, divided by regions of production, and add succinct sidebars about manufacturing processes and the definition of specific terms (i.e., the distinction between artisanal and industriel), generally enlightening even the most blaseof cheese buyers. Like many California wine, few of the cheeses produced in limited quantities even leave the country, so the compilation here yields many surprises. There is a massive amount of reference data to be consumed and savored piece by piece. A glossary and a list of producers, shops, and markets are appended. Sharp color photography by Yohei Maruyama. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; Revised & updated edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789410702
• ISBN-13: 978-0789410702
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent field-guide style reference, July 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Cheeses: The Visual Guide to More Than 350 Cheeses from Every Region of France (Paperback)

As a professional cheesemonger, I find this book indispensable. Although the layout can be a bit confusing, and the index is rife with inaccurate page numbers, the content is so strong that I highly recommend it to other professionals and food aficionados. One excellent point that is made several places in the book is that cheese can be enjoyed at different stages of maturity. In fact, the captions under photographs of cheese will often comment on how long the cheese was matured, or better yet, how it compares to what is usually eaten by the locals.

Careful recommendations are made for pairing the cheeses with French wines, which is always helpful.

I return to this book time and time again, either for reference, or to ferret out the minutae that dwell in every entry.

If only we had a reference of this quality for all the traditional foods of the world!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A handbook. Beautiful and informative, but hard to use., January 4, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French Cheeses: The Visual Guide to More Than 350 Cheeses from Every Region of France (Paperback)

If you know something about French Cheese, and don't mind poring through the whole book to search out generic information, such as the basic cheesemaking processes, you will find this book rewarding. If you are looking for an introduction and recommendations for where to start, this book won't help. The photos are beautiful, and the desriptions of the individual cheeses are very authoritative and complete. But, the bewildering array of cheeses in this book will not help you much as you stand before the cheese counter in the better French supermarkets or your favorite fromagerie trying to choose which of the 500 or so cheeses to eat with today's meals.

After living in France for three months, I now can appreciate what this book offers. But, in addition to the "field guide" type of descriptions, I would have appreciated some help in learning how to buy and store cheese (such as why the softer cheeses should be stored on a bed of straw in the shops).

There are delightful snippets of information included, or should I say buried, throughout the book, and the photos are truly wonderful. But, for anyone getting started, I would choose a book such as "Cheese Primer" by Steven Jenkins.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheese whiz..., July 28, 2001

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: French Cheeses (DK Handbooks) (Hardcover)

When I was a child and the milk soured, my ever-frugal mother would set it aside in a bowl and allow it to continue it's transformation into something wild and strange. When the curds and the whey separated, she would pour the contents into a cheese cloth stretched across a strainer and then gather and lift the cloth and squeeze the exess fluid from the curds. We ate the cheese as is...a form of "cottage" cheese I suppose. I was reminded of this when I read FRENCH CHEESES from Eyewitness Handbooks which contains a short history of cheese-making in the front section of the book.

I like this book, and since I am not a cheese expert, I cannot say whether it will make one an expert or not, but it has enlightened me a bit as I continue to experiment with the various kinds of cheeses available in the gourmet section of the grocery stores and the delicatesson in our neighborhood.

I have eaten various cheeses in Paris and other parts of Europe, and thought them better than anything I can buy in the States though I have eaten "fancy" cheeses in some upscale restaurants. I realize the French and others use unpasturized or raw milk in many of their cheeses and the U.S. frowns on the use of untreated milk so perhaps this is a factor. CHEESES identifies cooked versus raw versions.

However, many of the cheeses in this book are not found in U.S. stores because a limited supply exists and/or the product is consumed or sold locally. Generally these are artisanal cheeses (made by hand). CHEESES includes a map showing the farm areas of France and each cheese entry pinpoints the geographic location of the product. You can match the map with the cheese of interest to you and perhaps search for it on your next excursion to the French countryside. In the meantime, the list of producers in the appendix may prove helpful.