Legendary French Cheeses and Their Wild Stories

Cheese is more than just a food—it's a testament to culture, tradition, and sometimes, pure accident. Across France and beyond, some cheeses have stories so outrageous or fascinating that they’re almost as memorable as their flavors. From ancient caves to Napoleon’s fury, here are six French cheeses with the craziest tales behind them.

Roquefort

Roquefort, the iconic blue cheese from southern France, owes its existence to a shepherd’s distraction. Legend says a young shepherd left his lunch of bread and sheep’s cheese in a cave to chase after a girl. Weeks later, he returned to find his cheese transformed by blue mold from the cave’s unique environment. That fortuitous accident gave rise to Roquefort, now aged exclusively in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon and protected by French law.

Legend has it that the Frankish king Charlemagne was dining with the bishop of Albi when he tasted roquefort for the first time. He thought the blue veins meant the cheese was spoiled, but the bishop insisted that these were in fact the tastiest parts! Upon giving it a try, Charlemagne fell so in love with roquefort that he insisted cartloads be delivered annually to his court.

Over the centuries, Roquefort became an international sensation. So much so, in fact, that there were one too many roquefort copycats on the market! In 1925, the French government stepped in and made Roquefort the first cheese to receive an official Appellation d’Origine (now known as Appellation d’Origine Protégée, or AOP) in France. This status was granted to protect the authenticity and unique production methods of Roquefort, ensuring that only cheese produced and aged in the specific caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, using raw sheep’s milk, could bear the name Roquefort.

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Valençay

Valençay is a French goat cheese instantly recognizable for its truncated pyramid shape. According to legend, Napoleon Bonaparte, returning from his disastrous Egyptian campaign, was so annoyed by the cheese’s resemblance to a pyramid that he sliced off its top with his sword! The cheese has been made in this unique shape ever since, a testament to both French cheesemaking and Napoleonic temper.

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Époisses

Époisses, a pungent cheese from Burgundy, France, is so aromatic that it was once banned from public transport in Paris! Washed in Marc de Bourgogne brandy, Époisses has a creamy interior and a bold, unmistakable aroma. Its story is one of resilience—the recipe was nearly lost after World War II, but local farmers revived it, and today it’s a beloved French classic.

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Banon Cheese

Banon, a distinctive cheese from Provence, France, is instantly recognizable by its rustic wrapping of chestnut leaves bound with raffia. Made from goat’s milk, Banon boasts a soft, creamy texture and a robust aroma, heightened by frequent washings in local eau-de-vie brandy.

This traditional method imparts a unique, earthy flavor and an unmistakable pungency. With roots that run deep in Provençal culture, Banon has endured as a regional treasure, celebrated for both its artisanal craftsmanship and its bold character.

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Neufchâtel

Neufchâtel, a cherished cheese from Normandy’s Pays de Bray, is instantly recognizable by its iconic heart shape—a tradition said to date back to the Hundred Years’ War, when local women gifted heart-shaped cheeses to English soldiers as tokens of affection. Made from cow’s milk and protected by AOC status since 1969, Neufchâtel features a soft, bloomy white rind and a creamy, slightly crumbly interior with a distinctive grainy texture.

Its flavor is tangy and mildly salty, deepening and becoming more robust with age, while the rind develops a subtle mushroom aroma. As one of France’s oldest cheeses, with roots reaching as far back as the 6th century, Neufchâtel’s enduring legacy is a testament to the region’s artisanal spirit and romantic folklore.

Photo by Les Alpages

Mimolette

Mimolette, a bright orange cheese from northern France, is instantly recognizable for its spherical shape and cratered rind. Its story begins in the 17th century, when French officials, seeking to reduce reliance on Dutch imports, asked local cheesemakers to create a French version of Edam.

To distinguish it, they colored the cheese with annatto and encouraged the presence of cheese mites on the rind, which help develop its unique flavor and texture. Over time, Mimolette became a symbol of French ingenuity and even faced import bans in the United States due to concerns over those very mites, adding another quirky chapter to its history.

Photo by FOTOLIA

Bonus!

For those seeking the best butter in Paris, look no further than the rich, creamy butters of Normandy and Brittany—especially the famed Bordier butter, renowned for its hand-churned texture and deep, nuanced flavor. Many top fromageries in Paris, such as Laurent Dubois—an acclaimed Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), a prestigious award recognizing mastery in craftsmanship—offer not only exceptional selections of butter but also convenient vacuum sealing services to keep your purchase fresh for travel.

Other specialty shops like La Grande Épicerie also stock Bordier butter and will vacuum seal it for you upon request, and many neighborhood fromageries around Paris are happy to do the same for both cheese and butter. However, before bringing home your vacuum-sealed butter, always check your country’s customs website for the latest restrictions on imported dairy, as regulations can vary and may affect what you’re allowed to bring back.

For a truly memorable taste of France, expertly vacuum sealing butter from Paris’s best fromageries is a delicious—and practical—souvenir!