The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese
If anyone in America has a right to claim authority on the subject of cheese, author Lison does because she’s a born cheesehead, hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nevertheless, she herself took cheese pretty much for granted till she touched down in France for the first time. Her travels there took her from one French province to another and to all manner of farms and cheese producers. She learned firsthand the allure of cow cheeses, sheep cheeses, and goat cheeses. She discovered the distinctions that make each of the literally hundreds of French cheeses unique, and, perhaps most important, she learned to judge a cheese’s moment of perfect ripeness. A lot of books have been published about the history, culture, and virtues of France’s cheeses, but this one celebrates the farmers, dairymen, and cheese makers who have established France’s cheeses as still the world’s standard. --Mark Knoblauch