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The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese
An Amazon 2013 Best of the Year Pick
The French, sans doute , love their fromages . And there’s much to hundreds of gloriously pungent varieties—crumbly, creamy, buttery, even shot through with bottle-green mold. So many varieties, in fact, that the aspiring gourmand may How does one make sense of it all?
In The Whole Fromage , Kathe Lison sets out to learn what makes French cheese so remarkable—why France is the “Cheese Mother Ship,” in the words of one American expert. Her journey takes her to cheese caves tucked within the craggy volcanic rock of Auvergne, to a centuries-old monastery in the French Alps, and to the farmlands that keep cheesemaking traditions alive . She meets the dairy scientists, shepherds, and affineurs who make up the world of modern French cheese, and whose lifestyles and philosophies are as varied and flavorful as the delicacies they produce. Most delicious of all, she meets the cheeses themselves—from spruce-wrapped Mont d’Or, so gooey it’s best eaten with a spoon; to luminous Beaufort, redolent of Alpine grasses and wildflowers, a single round of which can weigh as much as a Saint Bernard; to Camembert, invented in Normandy but beloved and imitated across the world.
With writing as piquant and rich as a well-aged Roquefort, as charming as a tender springtime chèvre , and yet as unsentimental as a stinky Maroilles, The Whole Fromage is a tasty exploration of one of the great culinary treasures of France.
The French, sans doute , love their fromages . And there’s much to hundreds of gloriously pungent varieties—crumbly, creamy, buttery, even shot through with bottle-green mold. So many varieties, in fact, that the aspiring gourmand may How does one make sense of it all?
In The Whole Fromage , Kathe Lison sets out to learn what makes French cheese so remarkable—why France is the “Cheese Mother Ship,” in the words of one American expert. Her journey takes her to cheese caves tucked within the craggy volcanic rock of Auvergne, to a centuries-old monastery in the French Alps, and to the farmlands that keep cheesemaking traditions alive . She meets the dairy scientists, shepherds, and affineurs who make up the world of modern French cheese, and whose lifestyles and philosophies are as varied and flavorful as the delicacies they produce. Most delicious of all, she meets the cheeses themselves—from spruce-wrapped Mont d’Or, so gooey it’s best eaten with a spoon; to luminous Beaufort, redolent of Alpine grasses and wildflowers, a single round of which can weigh as much as a Saint Bernard; to Camembert, invented in Normandy but beloved and imitated across the world.
With writing as piquant and rich as a well-aged Roquefort, as charming as a tender springtime chèvre , and yet as unsentimental as a stinky Maroilles, The Whole Fromage is a tasty exploration of one of the great culinary treasures of France.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
40 people are currently reading
1577 people want to read
About the author
Kathe Lison
2 books8 followersKathe Lison is the author of The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese. A native of Wisconsin, "America's Dairyland," she has a long-reaching history with cheese. Her maternal grandfather kept and milked a herd of Holsteins on a 60-acre farm north of Green Bay, and her great, great-grandfather owned a diary.
Beyond her Cheesehead lineage, she holds an M.A. in literature and an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. She is an award winning essayist whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals, received mention in Best American Essays and won An Emerging Artist Grant from the Utah Arts Council. A devoted wanderer, in addition to the time she has spent in France, she has lived or traveled extensively in locales such as China, Morocco and Vietnam.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 30, 2013
"How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle
How indeed? Especially when it is upwards of 600, or was, before smaller operations started shutting down more frequently.
I have long been curious about what made cheeses different from one another, not really understanding the science, and this book has filled in many of those gaps for me. The author also profiles individual French cheeses of significance, looking at how they are made now, the history of their making and of their definition, and introduces us to several of the cheesemakers. She also throws in some commentary and cheese proverbs that made me laugh, especially the little story about cheese espionage.
This was probably my greatest moment of learning:
"As the cheese ages, enzymes produced by the bacteria break down the fats and proteins into fatty and amino acids, which are further broken down into smaller chemical components, all with various aromas and flowers."
Other little tidbits:
"In Lapland people dunk the cheese made from reindeer milk in coffee as if it were toast. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the world's most expensive cheese is made with the milk of moose. According to one article, moose give very little milk and are so temperamental that they go dry if milked in anything but absolute silence."
"The rind of a Tamie .. is a lustrous vivid saffron. And it has a delicate toe-jam scent."
"...Teetering on the brink of cheese."
"Cheese...abounds in casein, a protein that breaks down in the digestive system to produce an opioid called casomorphine... the most powerful casomorphin has about 1/10 the narcotic power of pure morphine."
Quotations from others:
"A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye." - Brillat-Savarin
"Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese - toasted, mostly." -Robert Louis Stevenson
This comes out in June 2013; I received an early review copy from NetGalley, so some of these quotations may change.
How indeed? Especially when it is upwards of 600, or was, before smaller operations started shutting down more frequently.
I have long been curious about what made cheeses different from one another, not really understanding the science, and this book has filled in many of those gaps for me. The author also profiles individual French cheeses of significance, looking at how they are made now, the history of their making and of their definition, and introduces us to several of the cheesemakers. She also throws in some commentary and cheese proverbs that made me laugh, especially the little story about cheese espionage.
This was probably my greatest moment of learning:
"As the cheese ages, enzymes produced by the bacteria break down the fats and proteins into fatty and amino acids, which are further broken down into smaller chemical components, all with various aromas and flowers."
Other little tidbits:
"In Lapland people dunk the cheese made from reindeer milk in coffee as if it were toast. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the world's most expensive cheese is made with the milk of moose. According to one article, moose give very little milk and are so temperamental that they go dry if milked in anything but absolute silence."
"The rind of a Tamie .. is a lustrous vivid saffron. And it has a delicate toe-jam scent."
"...Teetering on the brink of cheese."
"Cheese...abounds in casein, a protein that breaks down in the digestive system to produce an opioid called casomorphine... the most powerful casomorphin has about 1/10 the narcotic power of pure morphine."
Quotations from others:
"A meal without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye." - Brillat-Savarin
"Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese - toasted, mostly." -Robert Louis Stevenson
This comes out in June 2013; I received an early review copy from NetGalley, so some of these quotations may change.
August 28, 2013
French Cheesemaking Tradition
French folks are serious as a heart attack about their cheese. The French cheese industry is tousling with itself to incorporate the new with the old. So many labor saving devices have been invented over the years yet the question is whether they change the taste of the cheese. Sadly where last century there were 150 to 200 private cheesemakers there are now less than a dozen to take their place. The younger generations have left the farms and moved to the city where life isn’t so labor intensive.
There’s also the powerful AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) to contend with. This is a government oversight organization that reviews how particular cheeses are made and makes sure certain standards are upheld such as where the milk come from (one farm or many), how it’s harvested (by hand or machine), how the cheese is made (hand ladled or manipulated by machine), what bacteria is used to ferment the cheese (rennet –animal stomach--or the introduction of cultured bacteria), is the cheese made from cow’s milk or goat or sheep or some combination, etc. This ensures Roquefort, a chevre, a brebis, a gruyere, a Camembert have a recognizable consistency. They must each be made according to specifications agreed on and laid out by the AOC.
Lisson takes us on an interesting and mouth watering tour of the most technologically up to date facilities such as Lactalis, where she had to wear head gear and booties and a body suit to tour the premises, and a mom and pop farm where things were also scrupulously clean but very little labor saving devices were in evidence. There was also cheese lore. Consider the story of Marie Harel who was said to have invented Camembert with the help of a traveling brie making priest on her small farm or how Roquefort came into being when a herder who was so taken with a shepherdess that he forgot his lunch pack filled with curds and bread. When he remembered it and returned he found the milk had blue bacteria running through it but tasted pretty darn good. For some cheeses there’s a requirement that the animals must be pastured at high elevations for a certain amount of the year because what they eat influences the taste of their milk. Then there’s the matter of how the cheese is aged. Traditionally caves were used to for aging but now this can vary from a literal cave to a state of the art massive, temperature controlled industrial site.
Lisson’s book starts out a bit slow but soon takes off as she gives us the inside ladle on cheese. I especially loved her esoteric touches such as how the sound of an animal’s individual bell is said to influence milk production. She can become upset if her bell breaks or is lost or changed and her milk can suffer or she can delight in the sound and give wonderful milk. I know this all might sound highly specialized but if you’ve ever swooned at the taste of a fine cheese you’ll probably find this book as interesting as I did.
This review is based on an advance reader’s copy provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
French folks are serious as a heart attack about their cheese. The French cheese industry is tousling with itself to incorporate the new with the old. So many labor saving devices have been invented over the years yet the question is whether they change the taste of the cheese. Sadly where last century there were 150 to 200 private cheesemakers there are now less than a dozen to take their place. The younger generations have left the farms and moved to the city where life isn’t so labor intensive.
There’s also the powerful AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) to contend with. This is a government oversight organization that reviews how particular cheeses are made and makes sure certain standards are upheld such as where the milk come from (one farm or many), how it’s harvested (by hand or machine), how the cheese is made (hand ladled or manipulated by machine), what bacteria is used to ferment the cheese (rennet –animal stomach--or the introduction of cultured bacteria), is the cheese made from cow’s milk or goat or sheep or some combination, etc. This ensures Roquefort, a chevre, a brebis, a gruyere, a Camembert have a recognizable consistency. They must each be made according to specifications agreed on and laid out by the AOC.
Lisson takes us on an interesting and mouth watering tour of the most technologically up to date facilities such as Lactalis, where she had to wear head gear and booties and a body suit to tour the premises, and a mom and pop farm where things were also scrupulously clean but very little labor saving devices were in evidence. There was also cheese lore. Consider the story of Marie Harel who was said to have invented Camembert with the help of a traveling brie making priest on her small farm or how Roquefort came into being when a herder who was so taken with a shepherdess that he forgot his lunch pack filled with curds and bread. When he remembered it and returned he found the milk had blue bacteria running through it but tasted pretty darn good. For some cheeses there’s a requirement that the animals must be pastured at high elevations for a certain amount of the year because what they eat influences the taste of their milk. Then there’s the matter of how the cheese is aged. Traditionally caves were used to for aging but now this can vary from a literal cave to a state of the art massive, temperature controlled industrial site.
Lisson’s book starts out a bit slow but soon takes off as she gives us the inside ladle on cheese. I especially loved her esoteric touches such as how the sound of an animal’s individual bell is said to influence milk production. She can become upset if her bell breaks or is lost or changed and her milk can suffer or she can delight in the sound and give wonderful milk. I know this all might sound highly specialized but if you’ve ever swooned at the taste of a fine cheese you’ll probably find this book as interesting as I did.
This review is based on an advance reader’s copy provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
August 16, 2013
While The Whole Fromage has a lot of interesting historical anecdotes about cheese and its centrality to French culture, its flat, unengaging narrator and meandering tone make it not worth the effort. Pass.
September 18, 2020
New life goal: become a cheese knight.
That is a real thing in France, if you are so blessed by one of many local brotherhoods/sisterhoods of local cheese. The facts of cheese knighthood are among many very real delights described in this book by Kathe Lison, a Wisconsin native who arose from humble beginnings of Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese to explore the cultural and historical nuances of French fromage. If you're a history geek (ME!) who loves cheese (ME!) with a yearning to travel, even if vicariously through literature (ME! ME!) this book will hit all of your sweet spots (and savory spots besides).
I found out about this book by listening to a podcast of the author in conversation with travel guru Rick Steves upon the subject of French cheese. The book delves much deeper into the subject, and does so in an easy-to-relate-to breezy tone. Chapters focus on cheeses such as Salers, chevre in southwestern France, Camembert and the mythology around it, Reblochon, Comte, Roquefort and its caves, sheep cheese of the Pyrenees, and of course, Langre and its cheese knights. There is a great deal about traditional methods of cheesemaking, the ever-changing industrialization of it, and the peculiarities of AOC labels and terroir.
This is my first book of 2020 and I hope it sets my destiny for the year--one filled with delicious artisanal cheese.
That is a real thing in France, if you are so blessed by one of many local brotherhoods/sisterhoods of local cheese. The facts of cheese knighthood are among many very real delights described in this book by Kathe Lison, a Wisconsin native who arose from humble beginnings of Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese to explore the cultural and historical nuances of French fromage. If you're a history geek (ME!) who loves cheese (ME!) with a yearning to travel, even if vicariously through literature (ME! ME!) this book will hit all of your sweet spots (and savory spots besides).
I found out about this book by listening to a podcast of the author in conversation with travel guru Rick Steves upon the subject of French cheese. The book delves much deeper into the subject, and does so in an easy-to-relate-to breezy tone. Chapters focus on cheeses such as Salers, chevre in southwestern France, Camembert and the mythology around it, Reblochon, Comte, Roquefort and its caves, sheep cheese of the Pyrenees, and of course, Langre and its cheese knights. There is a great deal about traditional methods of cheesemaking, the ever-changing industrialization of it, and the peculiarities of AOC labels and terroir.
This is my first book of 2020 and I hope it sets my destiny for the year--one filled with delicious artisanal cheese.
April 6, 2023
Just a fun little read. I am from Wisconsin, like the author. I love cheese, like the author. I love Europe and language, like the author. So yeah, I liked it. 😬
July 25, 2013
I skimmed this book and think I actually read less than 50% of it, so maybe my review can't be "counted", but I did not enjoy the book at all (hence the skimming). I looooove cheese and learning about different kinds but this content was far too dry. Lots of history and what seemed to just be rehashing of facts. The only chapter I read the whole way through was the last chapter, during which the author attends a special dinner of a sort of "cheese society". This chapter was nicely balanced with facts and her own personal experiences; I'd have preferred to see that throughout the book.
April 8, 2013
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Part history, part travelogue.......a salute to French cheese. A lot of research and travel was done to prepare for this book.
This book is a labor of love for the author.
Part history, part travelogue.......a salute to French cheese. A lot of research and travel was done to prepare for this book.
This book is a labor of love for the author.
May 14, 2015
I wish this book was more about cheese and less about the author's love of Wisconsin, her husband, McDonald's, and describing people a la Dan Brown.
July 16, 2020
Kathe Lison explores the world of French cheese. 'Cheese is more than mere food. Androuet (author of one of the most highly esteemed books about French cheese) famously called cheese "the soul of the soil," and you can hold it crumbling in your hands, solid and real, like earth." Further, Lison says, "Cheese...(is) a way of seeing, a way of knowing not only who the French are, but where they came from." Big statements about a dairy product.
Lison shows us where all cheeses come from (maybe more than we want to know) and takes us to the places where the the French cheeses we love---Camemberts, Beauforts, Comtes, Gruyeres, Roqueforts. We learn that cheese, like all milk-products, is full of casein, a protein that breaks down in the digestive system as an opioid, what one doctor calls, "dairy crack." Lison tells the stories about cheese that make us cringe, about mites that chew on cheeses during the months they are stored in caves...using pieces of calf stomach to start the cheese-making process...how eating cheese "evokes other emissions, both male and female"...and these are the things we love about a good nonfiction book, I think.
Lison shows us where all cheeses come from (maybe more than we want to know) and takes us to the places where the the French cheeses we love---Camemberts, Beauforts, Comtes, Gruyeres, Roqueforts. We learn that cheese, like all milk-products, is full of casein, a protein that breaks down in the digestive system as an opioid, what one doctor calls, "dairy crack." Lison tells the stories about cheese that make us cringe, about mites that chew on cheeses during the months they are stored in caves...using pieces of calf stomach to start the cheese-making process...how eating cheese "evokes other emissions, both male and female"...and these are the things we love about a good nonfiction book, I think.
October 24, 2020
A nice read about the production and history of cheese in France, where there are an estimated nearly 300 kinds of cheese. Lison profiles a different cheese and its producers in each chapter, exploring sheep on hillsides, mass production controversies, French certifications and the characters who make the cheese special. It is part food history, part travelogue.
While full of interesting facts and details about specific cheeses, I just didn’t find much about this book memorable and compelling. It seemed the chapters melted (ha, cheese pun) and I couldn’t distinguish one cheese or producer or method or location from another. Perhaps chalk it up to my lack of knowledge in cheese or France, but I think it could have been better. I’d say Peter Mayle’s reflections on France are much more worth reading.
Additionally, it seemed Lison spent a great deal of time exploring (lamenting?) the mechanization of the French cheese, questioning it’s authenticity to the cheese produced in more traditional ways. This was unexpected. Was this a book about the making of French cheese and its history? Or was it a book questioning its production?
While full of interesting facts and details about specific cheeses, I just didn’t find much about this book memorable and compelling. It seemed the chapters melted (ha, cheese pun) and I couldn’t distinguish one cheese or producer or method or location from another. Perhaps chalk it up to my lack of knowledge in cheese or France, but I think it could have been better. I’d say Peter Mayle’s reflections on France are much more worth reading.
Additionally, it seemed Lison spent a great deal of time exploring (lamenting?) the mechanization of the French cheese, questioning it’s authenticity to the cheese produced in more traditional ways. This was unexpected. Was this a book about the making of French cheese and its history? Or was it a book questioning its production?
June 7, 2013
French cheese is one of those things that either gets a comment about its wonderful range, taste and diversity or a comment about it being "smelly and mouldy". This book might change those negative preconceptions and please culinary aficionados alike!
Billed as a mixture of travelogue and food history, this book is clearly a labour of love for the author, encouraged by her own original curiosity and passion for a subject that is far from being over-described. For example, no-one knows how many French cheeses even exist now or have existed in the past, so it is no wonder that there is no definitive guide available. Starting with a light-hearted tale about smuggling cheese from France to the United States wrapped in a new suit of clothes, this is a whimsical, humorous, light-hearted yet serious observation about a subject that is capable of diverse opinions.
This is a story-like type of book, demanding that you really read it sequentially rather than dip in and out. This review copy was an ebook version, bereft of pictures of wonderful cheeses, and it is unknown if the printed book is richly illustrated. One hopes so. It is a shame that an ebook which COULD have pictures doesn't have any! The story told is quite a pleasant, engaging one and you really feel as if you are sitting on the author's shoulders at times.
At the end of the book there is a list of "selected Parisian Fromageries" should you ever find yourself in the area and in need of a cheese infusion. It is in such emporia that you might make great use of the "Fromagespeak" section to "talk the talk". Should you still be hungry (for knowledge!) there is also a comprehensive bibliography.
This is one of those great little books that could make an airplane journey go by a lot faster or, of course, something you could settle down on the sofa with, accompanied by a glass of red and a plate of mixed nibbles. Perfection. Even those who are not cheese-a-holics could find this a great little read.
The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese, written by Kathe Lison and published by Broadway. ISBN 9780307452061, 288 pages. Typical price: USD15. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Billed as a mixture of travelogue and food history, this book is clearly a labour of love for the author, encouraged by her own original curiosity and passion for a subject that is far from being over-described. For example, no-one knows how many French cheeses even exist now or have existed in the past, so it is no wonder that there is no definitive guide available. Starting with a light-hearted tale about smuggling cheese from France to the United States wrapped in a new suit of clothes, this is a whimsical, humorous, light-hearted yet serious observation about a subject that is capable of diverse opinions.
This is a story-like type of book, demanding that you really read it sequentially rather than dip in and out. This review copy was an ebook version, bereft of pictures of wonderful cheeses, and it is unknown if the printed book is richly illustrated. One hopes so. It is a shame that an ebook which COULD have pictures doesn't have any! The story told is quite a pleasant, engaging one and you really feel as if you are sitting on the author's shoulders at times.
At the end of the book there is a list of "selected Parisian Fromageries" should you ever find yourself in the area and in need of a cheese infusion. It is in such emporia that you might make great use of the "Fromagespeak" section to "talk the talk". Should you still be hungry (for knowledge!) there is also a comprehensive bibliography.
This is one of those great little books that could make an airplane journey go by a lot faster or, of course, something you could settle down on the sofa with, accompanied by a glass of red and a plate of mixed nibbles. Perfection. Even those who are not cheese-a-holics could find this a great little read.
The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese, written by Kathe Lison and published by Broadway. ISBN 9780307452061, 288 pages. Typical price: USD15. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
July 15, 2017
This is my idea of a perfect nightstand book -- a well-written, geeky volume that doesn't hook me on plot, so I can read happily in the company of an intelligent mind until I'm drowsy enough to naturally fall asleep. Even better if the book transports me to Europe!
Although some of the descriptions of people, places, and cheese-making processes go on, in my opinion, 1-2 sentences too long, the language is lively and fresh.
There's a nifty little pronunciation guide at the end of the book (FromageSpeak) along with a list of the author's favorite Parisian Fromageries (cheese shops).
Recommended for cheese-lovers who also happen to be francophiles, food-history geeks, and fans of Wisconsin girls who grow up to be award-winning essayists.
Although some of the descriptions of people, places, and cheese-making processes go on, in my opinion, 1-2 sentences too long, the language is lively and fresh.
There's a nifty little pronunciation guide at the end of the book (FromageSpeak) along with a list of the author's favorite Parisian Fromageries (cheese shops).
Recommended for cheese-lovers who also happen to be francophiles, food-history geeks, and fans of Wisconsin girls who grow up to be award-winning essayists.
January 20, 2016
The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese, by Kathe Lison, is at once an adventure and a guide. Here’s the deal – she delves, quite deeply, into the mysteries of French cheesemaking – the geography, people, cows, terroir, traditions, regulations, appellations, differences, history – so well that you’ll read this book in one sitting (as I did), punctuated by a few trips to replenish the fromage plate. It’s that good.
Read our author interview: https://www.wanderingeducators.com/be...
Read our author interview: https://www.wanderingeducators.com/be...
May 5, 2014
Annoyingly disorganized, enjoyed the descriptions of the food and places for sheer nostalgia value. Author might have found a thesaurus and started adding adjectives for the hell of it, far beyond the point where each additional adj in a sentence was not adding anything other than word count.
July 8, 2014
I simply could not finish this one. You immediately notice the vast research and travel signal this was the author's labor of love. However, the book was flat and the narration was meandering at best. I really wanted to love this one, but, alas........
April 4, 2013
Excellent detailed book on cheese.
November 8, 2013
Took it back to the library after four chapters. Could handle no more. Just didn't swing with the gushing, fanboy/girl style of the author.
December 26, 2020
This book is as much a travelogue as about cheese. I loved both the traveling and the cheese history.
August 17, 2013
Not bad, I really wish it had pictures of the people and places she describes and especially the cheeses!
October 16, 2013
There's a lot of interesting information in here. However the narration was really unorganized and at times just awkward.
December 31, 2023
Delightful travel essay and food book on French cheeses, very accessible, witty, well-researched, fun for someone wanting to know more about cheese in general, French cheeses specifically, to read a travel essay book where author Kathe Lison visits the places where the cheeses are made, giving a great feel for the area’s people, terrain, climate, and culture, talking with and profiling a berger (shepherd), several fromager/ fromagère (male cheesemaker/female cheesemaker), and several affineur (professional cheese ager), showing how various famous and more obscure French cheeses are made, the history of them (sometimes going back to early medieval times, other times surprisingly recent), how they are marketed, how the French think of them, how they are perceived abroad, and visiting again and again reoccurring themes in discussing French cheese such as the role of tradition versus modernization, how much modernization either improves or ruins French cheeses, whether or not there was ever a golden age of handmade cheeses (to my surprise some cheeses were pretty much always industrial), why traditional methods are so important to some people, quite a bit on the debates over raw milk (and even how traditional raw milk even is), quite a bit on why some cheeses are so incredibly stinky, how important cheeses are to the French cultural identity, what cheeses people in France actually eat versus what they rhapsodize about, some on French and U.S. agricultural and trade policies as they relate to French cheese, the different breeds of cows used, some on how much of cheese and dairying lore is really just marketing, and tells fascinating stories about cheese as they relate to French history whether Charlemagne or Napoleon or World War II.
Though leaning a bit more to a travel essay about with various chapters devoted to visiting where various cheeses are made, visiting with those involved in making them, describing these places and people, and discussing the individual history of these cheeses, along the way the author does educate the reader a lot on the overall world history of cheese, the science of how cheese is made, and had a great section on the various types of cheeses, reviewing how Émile Duclaux, student of Louis Pasteur and “the founder of dairy microbiology,” in the 1870s created a classification system still in use today, dividing cheeses into pâtes molles (soft cheeses, from pâte for what’s inside the rind, la croûte, and mole meaning “soft,” further divided into croûte lavée, which are washed with various liquids to encourage a bacterial growth, or allowed to flower with various molds and instead are croûte fleurie), pâtes dures (hard cheeses, where the curds were pressed or pressed and cooked), and fromages bleus (the blue cheeses, which have been infected with various strains of penicillium), though the author also talks about fromage frais, “fresh cheese,” basically curds and whey just like Little Miss Muffet ate. You learn about the things used to make cheese like faiselles (perforated cheese molds), about not only cow’s milk cheese but also goat’s milk cheese (chèvre) and sheep’s milk cheese (brebis) as well as cheeses made with a mixture of sheep and cow milk (tomme mixte as opposed to tomme de brebis), with the differences in production, taste, and usage, and of course specific cheeses, such as Camembert (“a cheese constructed of myth and romance and legend”), Beaufort (“one of the most marvelous cheeses of France”), Reblochon (“a cheese born of tax evasion”), Maroilles (with one variety nicknamed le puant – “the stinker” – for being “deeply malodorous”), Roquefort (cheese famed for being beloved by Charlemagne, widely imitated and the subject of the first ever rudimentary attempts to legally protect a French food product, way back in 1411 thanks to Charles VI), and Langres (“the only French cheese with a sunken top” and a cheese promoted by a type of order of knights or brotherhood, a type of confreries, of which about twenty are dedicated to various fromage).
It is a charming and witty book and a great travel essay. No illustrations sadly, but there is an end list of selected Parisian fromageries (cheese shops) with some discussion of them, a very readable glossary titled “fromagespeak,” a discussion of selected favorite cheese books, and some very readable end notes. No index.
Though leaning a bit more to a travel essay about with various chapters devoted to visiting where various cheeses are made, visiting with those involved in making them, describing these places and people, and discussing the individual history of these cheeses, along the way the author does educate the reader a lot on the overall world history of cheese, the science of how cheese is made, and had a great section on the various types of cheeses, reviewing how Émile Duclaux, student of Louis Pasteur and “the founder of dairy microbiology,” in the 1870s created a classification system still in use today, dividing cheeses into pâtes molles (soft cheeses, from pâte for what’s inside the rind, la croûte, and mole meaning “soft,” further divided into croûte lavée, which are washed with various liquids to encourage a bacterial growth, or allowed to flower with various molds and instead are croûte fleurie), pâtes dures (hard cheeses, where the curds were pressed or pressed and cooked), and fromages bleus (the blue cheeses, which have been infected with various strains of penicillium), though the author also talks about fromage frais, “fresh cheese,” basically curds and whey just like Little Miss Muffet ate. You learn about the things used to make cheese like faiselles (perforated cheese molds), about not only cow’s milk cheese but also goat’s milk cheese (chèvre) and sheep’s milk cheese (brebis) as well as cheeses made with a mixture of sheep and cow milk (tomme mixte as opposed to tomme de brebis), with the differences in production, taste, and usage, and of course specific cheeses, such as Camembert (“a cheese constructed of myth and romance and legend”), Beaufort (“one of the most marvelous cheeses of France”), Reblochon (“a cheese born of tax evasion”), Maroilles (with one variety nicknamed le puant – “the stinker” – for being “deeply malodorous”), Roquefort (cheese famed for being beloved by Charlemagne, widely imitated and the subject of the first ever rudimentary attempts to legally protect a French food product, way back in 1411 thanks to Charles VI), and Langres (“the only French cheese with a sunken top” and a cheese promoted by a type of order of knights or brotherhood, a type of confreries, of which about twenty are dedicated to various fromage).
It is a charming and witty book and a great travel essay. No illustrations sadly, but there is an end list of selected Parisian fromageries (cheese shops) with some discussion of them, a very readable glossary titled “fromagespeak,” a discussion of selected favorite cheese books, and some very readable end notes. No index.
July 23, 2013
Originally posted at Olduvai Reads
“In the States, the neo-hippie, neo-agrarian movement has made it rather fashionable to quit a high-paying job in the city, buy some herd animals, and start making fromage. Then, of course, you’re supposed to write a book about how going back to the land and making cheese has changed you by putting you back in touch with an ancient rhythm of life.”
I was thinking with my stomach and not my head when I requested this book from its publisher.
It was more “mmm…cheese” as visions of Brie danced in my head, than “hmmm a whole book about cheese? Would I really want to read that?”
So when I actually sat down to start reading The Whole Fromage, I panicked. I was to read a book about cheese! Was I crazy? Well yes, a little, as I had only recently finished a whole book about cod which is not even one of my favourite fishes (pomfret , snapper or mackerel are my fishes of choice, the first and second are wonderful steamed Chinese-style, the second and third are fantastic as sashimi. And on the non-edible side, I have a soft spot for the sunfish or mola, which captured my heart on my first trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium many years ago. Sadly, I learnt after my recent visit last month that it died a few years ago).
So back to the cheese. Oh I love to eat cheese. And in fact my most memorable dish at a very expensive fancy lunch was the cheese course. I’m willing to eat most cheeses except for Port Salut which I really cannot stand.
We always have a block of some kind of cheese in the fridge. As of July 12 when I’m writing this there is some Parmesan, Wisconsin cheddar (for a shepherd’s pie I made), aged English cheddar, and a Brie. Thanks to our nearby Trader Joe’s.
None of this compares to the many different types of cheeses that Kathe Lison details in her book, The Whole Fromage.
Lison has dairy in her genes. She hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and her great-great grandfather owned a dairy so, as she puts it, “my progenitors were certainly up to their eyeballs in udders”
But her childhood cheese was mostly industrial cheese (as was mine – mostly in the form of cellophane wrapped slices of Cheesdale Cheese, a New Zealand brand) and her interest in French cheeses only began after a trip to Paris when she bought a book on cheese and learnt that there is an estimated total of 650 different cheeses produced in France:
“There were cheeses with wild mulberry leaves pressed into their tops; cheeses bound with rushes; cheeses covered in ash, in cumin, in raisins, in bits of grape skin; cheeses furred with long hairs of mold; cheeses in the shape of bricks, logs, bells, sheep turds; gigantic round cheese that could crush a poodle; and tiny goat cheeses so tender-looking you wanted to pick them up and soothe them.”
So where most of us would probably just take the book home and shelve it, perhaps occasionally consulting it for a new cheese to try at the local supermarket, Lison takes it upon herself to travel around France, to cheese caves, to a monastery, to farmlands to watch different types of cheese being made, cows being milked, and just to sample all kinds of delectable cheeses, all the while learning about the politics being cheese production, in terms of French government subsidies, American government taxes and so on.
It is a detailed book, I mean, who knew there could be so much behind cheese? The French system of AOCs, for example, which preserves the diversity of French food products like cheese, actually makes them less diverse. Each producer makes a cheese differently, using their own technique, but an AOC cheese cannot be ‘too diverse’ and thus there is a need for ‘harmonisation’ of techniques. Some sections were perhaps a little too detailed for me, but there were plenty of fascinating cheese moments, like Camembert, a favourite cheese of mine, started out with a blue-gray and gray-green rind, because of the mould strain. But scientists managed to isolate a white spore strain, leaving us with that cheese “as white as the bosom of a pure Norman maid”.
And we mustn’t forget the taste of the cheeses themselves:
“Later that evening, I would sit in my room with one of Monique’s cabécous warm in my palm. It was pale – the pate of a chèvre is lighter in colour than a cow’s-milk cheese because goats convert more carotene (which, as you may recall from middle school science class, is what makes carrots orange) to vitamin A – and it was lovely. In my hand it felt sort of fleshy, almost alive, and when I squeezed it, the firmer pate slid about in the little pouch made by the croute. I cut it open with my Swiss army knife, and a layer of cream oozed about the edges. When I put my nose down to it and sniffed, it smelled heavenly, like the moist hay of the goat barn. Then I cut a morsel and placed it on my tongue. The taste was grassy and lemony, almost to the point of being tangy. There was salt, too, and a pleasant, musky aftertaste. It was the taste of Poutignac, of the farmhouse in the early morning light, of the polychromatic goats in the barn, of wildflowers like those Monique had hand-painted onto the tiles in my little bathroom, carefully writing their Latin names – Viola odorata or Primula veris – underneath each picture. The cheese seemed almost a part of Monique herself.”
Ok I have to go cut myself a slice of Brie now. It will not be as spectacular but it will have to do.
I received a copy of this book for review from Crown Publishing’s imprint Broadway Books.
“In the States, the neo-hippie, neo-agrarian movement has made it rather fashionable to quit a high-paying job in the city, buy some herd animals, and start making fromage. Then, of course, you’re supposed to write a book about how going back to the land and making cheese has changed you by putting you back in touch with an ancient rhythm of life.”
I was thinking with my stomach and not my head when I requested this book from its publisher.
It was more “mmm…cheese” as visions of Brie danced in my head, than “hmmm a whole book about cheese? Would I really want to read that?”
So when I actually sat down to start reading The Whole Fromage, I panicked. I was to read a book about cheese! Was I crazy? Well yes, a little, as I had only recently finished a whole book about cod which is not even one of my favourite fishes (pomfret , snapper or mackerel are my fishes of choice, the first and second are wonderful steamed Chinese-style, the second and third are fantastic as sashimi. And on the non-edible side, I have a soft spot for the sunfish or mola, which captured my heart on my first trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium many years ago. Sadly, I learnt after my recent visit last month that it died a few years ago).
So back to the cheese. Oh I love to eat cheese. And in fact my most memorable dish at a very expensive fancy lunch was the cheese course. I’m willing to eat most cheeses except for Port Salut which I really cannot stand.
We always have a block of some kind of cheese in the fridge. As of July 12 when I’m writing this there is some Parmesan, Wisconsin cheddar (for a shepherd’s pie I made), aged English cheddar, and a Brie. Thanks to our nearby Trader Joe’s.
None of this compares to the many different types of cheeses that Kathe Lison details in her book, The Whole Fromage.
Lison has dairy in her genes. She hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and her great-great grandfather owned a dairy so, as she puts it, “my progenitors were certainly up to their eyeballs in udders”
But her childhood cheese was mostly industrial cheese (as was mine – mostly in the form of cellophane wrapped slices of Cheesdale Cheese, a New Zealand brand) and her interest in French cheeses only began after a trip to Paris when she bought a book on cheese and learnt that there is an estimated total of 650 different cheeses produced in France:
“There were cheeses with wild mulberry leaves pressed into their tops; cheeses bound with rushes; cheeses covered in ash, in cumin, in raisins, in bits of grape skin; cheeses furred with long hairs of mold; cheeses in the shape of bricks, logs, bells, sheep turds; gigantic round cheese that could crush a poodle; and tiny goat cheeses so tender-looking you wanted to pick them up and soothe them.”
So where most of us would probably just take the book home and shelve it, perhaps occasionally consulting it for a new cheese to try at the local supermarket, Lison takes it upon herself to travel around France, to cheese caves, to a monastery, to farmlands to watch different types of cheese being made, cows being milked, and just to sample all kinds of delectable cheeses, all the while learning about the politics being cheese production, in terms of French government subsidies, American government taxes and so on.
It is a detailed book, I mean, who knew there could be so much behind cheese? The French system of AOCs, for example, which preserves the diversity of French food products like cheese, actually makes them less diverse. Each producer makes a cheese differently, using their own technique, but an AOC cheese cannot be ‘too diverse’ and thus there is a need for ‘harmonisation’ of techniques. Some sections were perhaps a little too detailed for me, but there were plenty of fascinating cheese moments, like Camembert, a favourite cheese of mine, started out with a blue-gray and gray-green rind, because of the mould strain. But scientists managed to isolate a white spore strain, leaving us with that cheese “as white as the bosom of a pure Norman maid”.
And we mustn’t forget the taste of the cheeses themselves:
“Later that evening, I would sit in my room with one of Monique’s cabécous warm in my palm. It was pale – the pate of a chèvre is lighter in colour than a cow’s-milk cheese because goats convert more carotene (which, as you may recall from middle school science class, is what makes carrots orange) to vitamin A – and it was lovely. In my hand it felt sort of fleshy, almost alive, and when I squeezed it, the firmer pate slid about in the little pouch made by the croute. I cut it open with my Swiss army knife, and a layer of cream oozed about the edges. When I put my nose down to it and sniffed, it smelled heavenly, like the moist hay of the goat barn. Then I cut a morsel and placed it on my tongue. The taste was grassy and lemony, almost to the point of being tangy. There was salt, too, and a pleasant, musky aftertaste. It was the taste of Poutignac, of the farmhouse in the early morning light, of the polychromatic goats in the barn, of wildflowers like those Monique had hand-painted onto the tiles in my little bathroom, carefully writing their Latin names – Viola odorata or Primula veris – underneath each picture. The cheese seemed almost a part of Monique herself.”
Ok I have to go cut myself a slice of Brie now. It will not be as spectacular but it will have to do.
I received a copy of this book for review from Crown Publishing’s imprint Broadway Books.
October 31, 2020
I think this is absolutely great. I'm not a fan of nonfiction books but I am a fan of cheese. This is a great book that has a perfect blend of the history of cheese in France, the production of cheese and what makes each type different. It's astounding how the slightest difference in the process of making it can result in a completely different flavor.
May 23, 2018
I enjoyed it because I am both a Francophile and a cheese enthusiast, and this book does delve into the history and the socio-economical issues around various kinds of french cheeses and how they came to be....
But I felt that in certain parts this book did get a little messy, and like some other readers I did find that the author’s descriptions were a little too lengthy and wordy.
That didn’t stop me from wanting to put the book down and stuff my face with a morsel of Beaufort cheese though...
But I felt that in certain parts this book did get a little messy, and like some other readers I did find that the author’s descriptions were a little too lengthy and wordy.
That didn’t stop me from wanting to put the book down and stuff my face with a morsel of Beaufort cheese though...
January 19, 2016
I used to be of the belief that in my past life I was a cheesemonger. However, after reading “The Whole Fromage,” I realize how inaccurate my perception was. Although the terroir plays an extremely crucial role in the burst of flavor experienced when eating authentic cheeses, cheese-making is an act of love and each bite of cheese is infused with heart, soul, and passion. Sadly, so many cheeses we are offered in our grocery stores lack the burst of flavors that Lison enjoyed during her cheese tasting tour around France. During a visit to the local grocery store the consumer is bombarded with pre-packaged, pre-sliced, pre-cut, pre-shredded, and pre-crumbled cheeses. American cheesemakers are more concerned with quantity and stocking the grocery shelves than they are with quality thus cheating its consumers from experiencing truly tasty cheeses. Many consumers are unaware of the flavor explosion that true cheese offers, thus causing a society of numbed taste buds. When Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has become our standard of fine cuisine, we truly have a problem!
Lison does an excellent job of demonstrating the important role of geography in cheese's history, as evident in her description of Roquefort, which started 2 million years ago! The creation of the caves in Roquefort region eventually played a crucial role in the aging process of this delectable blue cheese. While I enjoyed her historical accounts of French cheese, I found her writing to be a bit verbose. For example, in her chapter about Camembert, I found my mind drifting. While obviously, well-researched, Lison's narrative loses focus. I enjoyed her encounters with the various French cheesemakers, and her writing during those times seemed quite authentic, but Lison's writing becomes scattered when she begins to delve into the history. During these portions of the book, I was reminded of a long-winded professor who fails to captivate his sleeping audience. Perhaps her writing loses its authenticity in these portions because it does not reflect her own experiences. Had she just stuck to her mouthwatering description of cheese, this book would have been a much more engaging read for me.
"The Whole Fromage" is a good, introductory book about the history of French cheese. I would like to see a series of books written about cheeses from around the world. Next on my list is Liz Thorpe's "Cheese Chronicles" about dairies in Wisconsin, which comes highly recommended by Steve Jenkins, the cheese expert, himself.
I absolutely love reading about my favorite food and after reading Lison's book I am convinced more than ever that cheese is a living, breathing thing. So, while I was not destined to be a cheesemonger, I am a huge turophile, who is still on a quest to find the world’s most delicious piece of cheese!!
Lison does an excellent job of demonstrating the important role of geography in cheese's history, as evident in her description of Roquefort, which started 2 million years ago! The creation of the caves in Roquefort region eventually played a crucial role in the aging process of this delectable blue cheese. While I enjoyed her historical accounts of French cheese, I found her writing to be a bit verbose. For example, in her chapter about Camembert, I found my mind drifting. While obviously, well-researched, Lison's narrative loses focus. I enjoyed her encounters with the various French cheesemakers, and her writing during those times seemed quite authentic, but Lison's writing becomes scattered when she begins to delve into the history. During these portions of the book, I was reminded of a long-winded professor who fails to captivate his sleeping audience. Perhaps her writing loses its authenticity in these portions because it does not reflect her own experiences. Had she just stuck to her mouthwatering description of cheese, this book would have been a much more engaging read for me.
"The Whole Fromage" is a good, introductory book about the history of French cheese. I would like to see a series of books written about cheeses from around the world. Next on my list is Liz Thorpe's "Cheese Chronicles" about dairies in Wisconsin, which comes highly recommended by Steve Jenkins, the cheese expert, himself.
I absolutely love reading about my favorite food and after reading Lison's book I am convinced more than ever that cheese is a living, breathing thing. So, while I was not destined to be a cheesemonger, I am a huge turophile, who is still on a quest to find the world’s most delicious piece of cheese!!
July 21, 2013
We all have to eat to live. Eating well is an art form and, for the French, a necessity. After all, France is the birthplace of some of the most recognizable foods and food traditions in the world. One of those time-honored gustatory categories is cheese. Kathe Lison’s The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese is an American’s take on French cheese – from basic history of the major French varieties to cheesemaking techniques to tastings to serendipitous encounters with cheese producers.
Lison introduces herself as a native of Wisconsin with dairy running in her family line. That doesn’t exclude her from having early, beloved memories of Kraft macaroni and cheese, but it does provide a starting point for her adventures in French cheese knowledge: ground zero. Lison’s subsequent lessons in cheesemaking and eating are varied, but her main aim is to discover the history and methods behind some of the most well-known of French cheeses, and break down the processes, locales and people involved in making this delicious dairy product.
Each chapter is arranged roughly around a type of cheese, and anecdotes and history related to its development and modern (or not-so-modern) methods of making it. Lison focuses on Salers, Maroilles, goat cheese, Camembert, Beaufort, Comté, Roquefort and Brebis and Langres, though she does wander at times into disquisitions on other cheeses (including my own all-time favorite, Brie). The strongest chapter was that on Camembert, called ‘Cheese Is a Battlefield.’ Lison described the struggles of modern methods (science) versus tradition in the cheese landscape and the affect this has on production, community and the consumer.
Unfortunately, not all of the chapters were as robust. Lison succeeds in describing intricate cheesemaking methods, the historical provenance of these processes, and her own brief adventure in cheese making. Her writing falters somewhat in portrayals of individuals and depictions of the countryside, with odd word choice breaking the narrative into pieces rather than bringing it together as a whole. She also relies fairly heavily on quotes from Patrick Rance, eponymous author of the French Cheese Book (understandable, but sometimes more tedious than helpful).
Nevertheless, The Whole Fromage would be a perfect starting point for American Francophiles who savor food on their trips abroad (or plan to do so in the future), and who want a bit of irreverent back story on the special rituals and effort that go into making that delicious cheese at the end of a chic Parisian meal.
Recommended for: new cheese-lovers, aspiring gourmands, food magazine subscribers and as a solid selection for food and travel book clubs.
Lison introduces herself as a native of Wisconsin with dairy running in her family line. That doesn’t exclude her from having early, beloved memories of Kraft macaroni and cheese, but it does provide a starting point for her adventures in French cheese knowledge: ground zero. Lison’s subsequent lessons in cheesemaking and eating are varied, but her main aim is to discover the history and methods behind some of the most well-known of French cheeses, and break down the processes, locales and people involved in making this delicious dairy product.
Each chapter is arranged roughly around a type of cheese, and anecdotes and history related to its development and modern (or not-so-modern) methods of making it. Lison focuses on Salers, Maroilles, goat cheese, Camembert, Beaufort, Comté, Roquefort and Brebis and Langres, though she does wander at times into disquisitions on other cheeses (including my own all-time favorite, Brie). The strongest chapter was that on Camembert, called ‘Cheese Is a Battlefield.’ Lison described the struggles of modern methods (science) versus tradition in the cheese landscape and the affect this has on production, community and the consumer.
Unfortunately, not all of the chapters were as robust. Lison succeeds in describing intricate cheesemaking methods, the historical provenance of these processes, and her own brief adventure in cheese making. Her writing falters somewhat in portrayals of individuals and depictions of the countryside, with odd word choice breaking the narrative into pieces rather than bringing it together as a whole. She also relies fairly heavily on quotes from Patrick Rance, eponymous author of the French Cheese Book (understandable, but sometimes more tedious than helpful).
Nevertheless, The Whole Fromage would be a perfect starting point for American Francophiles who savor food on their trips abroad (or plan to do so in the future), and who want a bit of irreverent back story on the special rituals and effort that go into making that delicious cheese at the end of a chic Parisian meal.
Recommended for: new cheese-lovers, aspiring gourmands, food magazine subscribers and as a solid selection for food and travel book clubs.
June 4, 2016
Would have been better as a blog. What's the story behind the French and their cheese? Author Kathe Lison sets out to find out the answer. She looks at the history and people who make/sell/deal with cheese including the regional differences, the methods used to make them, even the milk that goes into the cheese.
Unfortunately, it's a mess. The author's style is not particularly engaging and and was actually quite tedious. I wasn't really interested in her background nor her experiences with the cheese and found the narration to be meandering as others have written and not particularly compelling.
Overall I got the feeling this would have been better as a blog, with short, separate entries about her adventures rather than as a book. Although it certainly doesn't present itself as an academic study of the history of French cheese, the author's writing isn't interesting enough to grab the attention who doesn't already know at least a little about cheese or isn't a Francophile (and even then I'm not really sure they'd enjoy this book very much).
It's clear the author is super enthusiastic about the subject. But it needed a much better editor to hammer out what she was trying to do.
Personally I'd skip this one. Borrow from the library if you can find it but unless you're a culinary student and/or *really* into cheese I'm not sure it's a must-read.
Unfortunately, it's a mess. The author's style is not particularly engaging and and was actually quite tedious. I wasn't really interested in her background nor her experiences with the cheese and found the narration to be meandering as others have written and not particularly compelling.
Overall I got the feeling this would have been better as a blog, with short, separate entries about her adventures rather than as a book. Although it certainly doesn't present itself as an academic study of the history of French cheese, the author's writing isn't interesting enough to grab the attention who doesn't already know at least a little about cheese or isn't a Francophile (and even then I'm not really sure they'd enjoy this book very much).
It's clear the author is super enthusiastic about the subject. But it needed a much better editor to hammer out what she was trying to do.
Personally I'd skip this one. Borrow from the library if you can find it but unless you're a culinary student and/or *really* into cheese I'm not sure it's a must-read.
September 15, 2013
The Whole Fromage by Kathe Lison
Imagine taking a trip around France to discover where true artisanal cheeses are still being made. Imagine seeing how they’re made and learning their histories and then being able to taste the cheeses you’ve discovered. Sounds like a dream doesn’t it? Well, this book is the dream come true, maybe not for you or me, but we are lucky enough to get to read about it.
The book is more about cheese than about France, so if you’re expecting a travel memoir you’ll be disappointed. What it is, is a serious look at French cheese and its history. Living on the other side of the world, a lot of these cheeses were unfamiliar to me and many of them are unavailable here. Still it was interesting to read how they came to exist, and how they were made then and are made today. The author makes it's an interesting journey with personal anecdotes and stories about the cheese-makers she visits.
If you like cheese, you will love this book!
September 4, 2014
I am a huge fan of French cheese. (Is it even possible not to be?) And I enjoyed hearing about some of the lesser-known cheeses, and the processes by which cheeses big and small are made. Lison writes accessibly, and certainly shows a willingness to muck in - or tuck in - to a variety of experiences. The biggest problem is that the book isn't really a travelogue, nor a food book, nor a more-academic book about cheeses and cheesemaking. It sits somewhat unsteadily on the intersection of the three, and as a result feels a bit unfinished, or unsettled. This isn't to say that I wouldn't recommend it; rather, it's to say that I don't think this will be going into the annals of classic food writing, nor into the annals of classic travel writing. Still, it was an enjoyable way to pass a few hours, and I learned some new things.
November 6, 2013
In general informative but incomplete. This was an interesting travelog of a few French cheese-making areas. Good information about how cheese is made and the changes in methods used to make cheese from the small farmhouse to today's big conglomerates and industrial producers. There was some discussion of taste, but I would have liked to see a discussion about the nutritional differences between raw and pasteurized cheeses, those with and without additives, etc. Raw milk proponents say that the microbial benefits of raw milk cheese are worth the risks, and there was no discussion of that issue.
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