Fromage!

In a recent France Guide interview, renowned chocolatier Jacques Torres pined for French raw milk cheeses: "They are really exceptional. It’s something that we don’t have in the United States, because we don’t have the right to import them, and it’s really too bad, because it’s another world — it’s something to discover in France."

But according to the New York Times, the rich heritage of raw milk cheese production is also in danger in France. Large companies are pressuring small producers into pasteurization, which changes the character of cheese. Fortunately, some farmers and cheese shops like Fromagerie Quatrehomme (62, rue de Sèvres, 75007, +33 01 4734-3345) are fighting back against the corporate juggernaut.

I wanted to help support their cause, so I decided to consume as much raw milk cheese as possible during my stay in Paris. First, I visited the beautiful Quatrehomme and immediately fell in love. Upon walking in, I caught sight of a book cataloguing 1200 kinds of cheese (I didn't know there were 1200 kinds of cheese!). I then proceeded to the display of round chevres, Bries and other goodies. Completely overwhelmed, I just started choosing cheeses at random. Raw milk Brie de Melun? Check. Tangy herbed chevre? Check. A tin of soft, creamy St. Felicitien? Check. Rounds of a young goat milk cheese called Rocamadour, which I would eventually devour whole like cookies? Check!

Then, I made sure to visit the Poilane bakery in order to have some world-famous sourdough to eat with my cheese (by the way, Poilane ships overseas!). I carried my loot back to the hotel, where I calmly and methodically devoured cheese, then slices of sourdough, then more cheese as my companion looked at me with amazement.

Towards the end of my stay, it dawned on me that I should bring a delicious taste of France back to New York. Although I wasn't worried about packing my suitcase with Poilane, I wondered about the logistics of traveling with cheese. And was it even legal?

Fortunately, the lovely woman at La Fromagerie (8, rue de Petits Carreaux, +33 01 4233-0407) had a solution: vacuum-packing. (For no additional charge, she makes your purchases absolutely travel-proof! And what's even better, you can try before you buy.) She helped me choose a breathtaking Comte (mmm!), a Tonnelet... together we chose an assortment of hard, soft, creamy, goat, cow, and sheep's milk cheese until I had a wonderful little package to put inside my suitcase. Now it's safe and sound in my refrigerator! Shhh...