How to find the best French cheese for you: an expert's guide to cheese shopping in France
However, when one such conversation turned to Paris cheese stores, an airline employee told me that she often leaves empty-handed.
'I'm always so intimidated,' she said.
I used to be daunted, too, but after a decade of spending at least three months of the year in France, I approach each cheese counter as a new adventure. During my travels throughout the country, I have made a hobby of sampling regional
cheeses at their point of origin and, in some cases, visiting the village from which a particular variety gets its name.
One of the more memorable stops, in the Auvergne region of south-central France, was Saint-Nectaire. My mission: to buy this nutty-flavoured, semi-soft cheese directly from a producer.
By following road signs for the Route des Fromages, or cheese route, I found one whose family had been in the business for eight generations. Like others in the area, they sold the cheese only by the wheel, which weighed several pounds each.
Before committing to the €17 (US$20) purchase, I asked for a taste. The vendor obliged, using a tool called a sonde, which drilled into the centre of the cheese to extract a slender, creamy, smooth ivory sample.
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