A Cheesemonger's Tour de France, by Ned Palmer - Kyle
I was initially hesitant about this book. Although I would be the first to say that I absolutely love cheese, I was a little worried this would be a dry tome of histories and dates of cheesemakers long forgotten by the general public.
However, from the opening pages I was proved very wrong. Ned opens the book with his arrival at the Salons des Fromages in Paris, an exhibition and celebration of all things cheese. He describes this experience to bring some initial humour and interest to the story of French cheese. It is worth looking up the Confreres de Brie for example, to see the unusual cultures that have built up around French cheesemaking.
Following on from this introduction, Ned takes us on a tour of the key cheesemaking regions of France coming across all of the cheeses you would expect to find in such a book: Brie, Munster, Epoisses, Comte, Salers, Roquefort, Ossau-Iraty, Camembert, and more.
Ned structures the tour of each region very engagingly, visiting local cheesemakers and telling the stories of their craft as well as some of the history of the area that have led to their cheese being made in the way it is. Amongst all of this he also manages to describe his tasting of the cheese and some insights into La France Profonde, the deep and varied French culture of the rural towns and villages outside of the Parisian French that is more well known to outsiders.
In all, I took quite a few lessons away from this book; a deeper knowledge of French cheese, but also of its history and more importantly how intertwined it is in French culture. He also brings out the importance of "what grows together, goes together" from his description of pairing the cheese, food, and wine of the local regions. Ned manages to balance all of these elements together in an interesting and informative read. I would say however, that this book is unlikely to be that interesting for people who aren't cheese lovers - it is firmly intended for those that enjoy cheese and want to learn a little more.
Kyle
