List of French cheeses - wikipedia List of French cheeses Map of major AOC cheeses - the size of the symbol equates to the size of production This is a list of cheeses from France. Traditionally, there are from 350 to 450 distinct types of French cheese 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 was famously quoted as saying `` Comment voulez - vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante - six variétés de fromage ? '' ( `` How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty - six varieties of cheese ? '' ) Contents 1 Protected designation of origin 2 Popular French cheeses 3 Other French cheeses 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links Protected designation of origin Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, certain established cheeses, including many French cheeses, are covered by a protected designation of origin ( PDO ), and other, less stringent, designations of geographical origin for traditional specialities, such as the French appellation d'origine contrôlée ( AOC ) system, the Italian denominazione di origine controllata ( DOC ) system, and the Spanish Denominación de origen system. A complete list of agricultural products with an EU Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ), Protected Geographical Indication ( PGI ), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed ( TSG ), listed alphabetically by nation, is at the Europa Agriculture website. French cheese production is classified under four categories, and PDO / AOC rules dictate which category ( ies ) each protected cheese may be assigned to : Fermier : farmhouse cheese, which is produced on the farm where the milk is produced. Artisanal : producer producing cheese in relatively small quantities using milk from their own farm, but may also purchase milk from local farms. Coopérative : dairy with local milk producers in an area that have joined to produce cheese. In larger coopératives quantities of cheese produced may be relatively large, akin to some industriel producers ( many may be classed as factory - made ). Industriel : factory - made cheese from milk sourced locally or regionally, perhaps all over France ( depending on the AOC / PDO regulations for specific cheeses ). 56 cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. The majority are classified as Appellation d'origine contrôlée ( AOC ), the highest level of protection. Some are also protected under the less stringent but still legally regulated designation Label Régional ( LR ). A few French cheeses are protected under the European Union 's Protected Geographic Indication designation ( PGI ). Many familiar generic types, like Boursin, are not covered. It may come as a surprise to see varieties of Emmental cheese protected as a French cheese. This list differs from those of AOC status. Cheese Year designated AOC Producing region Type of milk Designation Abondance 1990 Haute - Savoie Cow AOC Banon 2003 Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur Goat AOC Beaufort 1968 Savoie Cow AOC Bleu d'Auvergne Auvergne Cow AOC Bleu des Causses 1979 Midi - Pyrénées Cow AOC Bleu de Gex, du Haut - Jura, or de Septmoncel 1977 Franche - Comté Cow AOC Bleu du Vercors - Sassenage 1998 Rhône - Alpes Cow AOC Brie de Meaux 1980 Île - de-France Cow AOC Brie de Melun 1980 Île - de-France Cow AOC Brocciu Cara or Brocciu Corsica Sheep AOC Cabécou Midi - Pyrénées Goat AOC Cancoillotte n / a Franche - Comté Cow LR Cantal, Fourme de Cantal, or Cantalet 1956 Auvergne Cow AOC Camembert de Normandie Normandy Cow AOC Cazelle de Saint Affrique n / a Midi - Pyrénées, Aveyron Department Sheep AOC Chabichou du Poitou 1990 Poitou - Charentes Goat AOC Chaource 1970 Champagne - Ardenne Cow AOC Chevrotin 2002 Savoie and Haute - Savoie Goat AOC Comté 1952 Franche - Comté Cow AOC Crottin de Chavignol 1976 Centre - Val de Loire Goat AOC Emmental de Savoie n / a Savoie Cow PGI Emmental français est - central n / a Franche - Comté Cow PGI Époisses de Bourgogne Burgundy Cow AOC Faisselle Rians Cow, Goat, Sheep Fourme d'Ambert 1972 Auvergne Cow AOC Fourme de Montbrison 1972 Auvergne Cow AOC Fromage blanc Fromage frais ( fr. Fromage à pâte fraîche ) Gruyère 2007 Switzerland Cow AOC Laguiole 1961 Auvergne Cow AOC Langres 1991 Champagne - Ardenne Cow AOC Livarot 1972 Normandy Cow AOC Mâconnais 2006 Burgundy Goat AOC Maroilles or Marolles 1976 Nord - Pas - de-Calais Cow AOC Mimolette n / a Nord - Pas - de-Calais Cow LR Mont d'or, or Vacherin du Haut - Doubs 2006 Franche - Comté Cow AOC Morbier 2000 Franche - Comté Cow AOC Munster or Munster - Géromé 1969 Alsace and Vosges départements in Lorraine ( region ) Cow AOC Neufchâtel 1969 Normandy Cow AOC Ossau - lraty 1980 Aquitaine Sheep AOC Pélardon 2000 Languedoc - Roussillon Goat AOC Picodon de l'Ardèche or de la Drôme Rhône - Alpes Goat AOC Pont - l'Évêque 1976 Normandy Cow AOC Pouligny - Saint - Pierre 1972 Centre - Val de Loire Goat AOC Reblochon or Reblochon de Savoie 1958 Savoie and Haute - Savoie Cow AOC Rigotte de Condrieu 2008 Lyon Goat AOC Rocamadour Midi - Pyrénées Goat AOC Roquefort 1925 Midi - Pyrénées Sheep AOC Sainte - Maure de Touraine 1990 Centre - Val de Loire Goat AOC Saint - Nectaire 1955 Auvergne Cow AOC Saint - Félicien n / a Rhône - Alpes Cow LR Salers 1979 Auvergne Cow AOC Selles - sur - Cher Centre - Val de Loire Goat AOC Tome des Bauges ( fr ) 2002 Savoie Cow AOC Tomme de Savoie and Haute - Savoie n / a Savoie Cow PGI Tomme des Pyrénées n / a Midi - Pyrénées Cow PGI Trou du Cru n / a Burgundy, Côte - d'Or Department Cow AOC Valençay 1998 Centre - Val de Loire Goat AOC Popular French cheeses Cheese seller in France Camembert ( AOC ) Brie de Meaux ( AOC ) Roquefort ( AOC ) Boursin Reblochon ( AOC ) Munster ( AOC ) Pont l'Évêque ( AOC ) Époisses ( AOC ) Tomme de Savoie ( AOC ) Livarot ( AOC ) AOC = protected by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée Other French cheeses Abbaye de Belloc Abbaye de Tamié Baguette laonnaise Bleu de Bresse Bleu de Termignon Boulette d'Avesnes Boursin cheese Brie Noir ( Black Brie ) Brillat - Savarin Broccio Passu Bucheron Carré de l'Est Cathare Chamois d'or Chaubier Chaumes Coulommiers Coutances Délice de Bourgogne Délice du Calvados Édel de Cléron Explorateur Fromager d'Affinois Gaperon Lavort Mont des Cats Mottin Charentais Niolo Olivet cendré Pavin Port Salut Raclette Rochebarron Roue de Brielove Saint Albray Saint - André Saint - Marcellin Saint - Paulin Tarentais Tomme au Fenouil Tomme Boudane Tomme Butone Tomme du Revard Vieux - Boulogne See also Food portal France portal List of cheeses List of cheesemakers Notes ^ Jump up to : `` Quelles sont les grandes familles de fromages ? - Module fromage - Sommaire - Tout savoir sur le fromage - Fromages et Nutrition - Institut Fromages & Santé ''. Institut-fromages-et-sante.com. 2009 - 02 - 25. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ Les Mots du Général, Ernest Mignon ( 1962 ) ) Jump up ^ `` EU agricultural product quality policy ''. Jump up ^ Masui, T. ; Tomoko, Y. ; Hodgson, R. ; Robuchon, J. ( 2004 ). French Cheeses. DK. ISBN 1 - 4053 - 0666 - 1. Jump up ^ Barthélemy, Roland ; Sperat - Czar, Arnaud ( 2004 ). Cheeses of the world. Hachette Illustrated ( London ). ISBN 1 - 84430 - 115 - X. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cheese from France. Pictures Gallery of French Cheese ( and some others ) Pictures and detailed information on French Cheese Cheese Types Acid - set Blue Brined Cream Goat Green cheese Pasta filata Processed Smear - ripened Smoked Washed - rind Whey Animal milk Cow Goat Reindeer Sheep Water buffalo Yak Camel Regions Bandel Cornwall France Germany Ireland Italy Mexico Middle East Netherlands Poland Romania Serbia Spain Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom United States Special designations Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée cheeses European cheeses with protected geographical status Greek Italian Organizations American Cheese Society International Cheese Awards Lucerne Cheese Festival Mountain Cheese Olympics National Cheese Exchange The Great British Cheese Festival List articles Cheese dishes Cheesemakers Cheese soups Cheeses Blue cheeses Goat milk cheeses Sheep milk cheeses Stretch - curd cheeses Water buffalo cheeses Miscellaneous Cheese ripening Dairy salt Cheese dishes Cheesemakers List of cheeses French cheeses AOC Abondance Banon Beaufort Bleu d'Auvergne Bleu des Causses Bleu de Gex Bleu du Vercors Brie de Meaux Brie de Melun Brocciu Camembert Cantal Chabichou du Poitou Chaource Chevrotin Comté Coulommiers Crottin de Chavignol Époisses Fourme d'Ambert Fourme de Montbrison Laguiole Langres Livarot Mâconnais Maroilles Mont d'Or Morbier Munster Neufchâtel Ossau - Iraty Pélardon Picodon Pont - l'Évêque Pouligny - Saint - Pierre Reblochon Rigotte de Condrieu Rocamadour Roquefort Saint - Nectaire Sainte - Maure de Touraine Salers Selles - sur - Cher Valençay Unprotected varieties Abbaye de Tamié Baguette laonnaise Bleu de Bresse Brillat - Savarin Brie Cabécou Cancoillotte Carré de l'Est Chaumes Clochette Délice d'Argental Délice de Bourgogne Édel de Cléron Etorki Explorateur Faisselle Fromage blanc Gaperon Mont des Cats Mimolette Olivet cendré Port Salut Raclette Rochebaron Saint Agur Blue Saint - Félicien Saint - Marcellin Saint - Paulin Vacherin Vieux - Boulogne Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_French_cheeses&oldid=816801650 '' Categories : French cheeses Lists of cheeses French cuisine - related lists Hidden categories : Interlanguage link template link number Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 23 December 2017, at 20 : 05. 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Question: how many types of cheese are produced in france
Answer: from 350 to 450 distinct types