Skip to main content
French cheese board on a wooden map of France with a glass of red wine and a baguette
Photo: QuizFury
Food & CuisineEasy

French Cheeses: The Grand Quiz

Roquefort is made only from raw Lacaune ewe's milk, Selles-sur-Cher is dusted with wood ash, and Emmental de Savoie forms its holes during aging. Test your cheese knowledge.

15

Questions

2

Minutes

Tip: Use keys 1-4 to answer quickly

The 15 quiz questions

Question 1 : Which French region produces the famous Camembert?

Possible answers:

  • Brittany
  • Normandy
  • Provence
  • Burgundy

Explanation: Camembert de Normandie is an AOP cheese produced since the 18th century in this northwestern region of France.

Question 2 : What type of milk is Roquefort made from?

Possible answers:

  • Cow
  • Sheep
  • Goat
  • Buffalo

Explanation: Roquefort is exclusively made from raw sheep's milk from the Lacaune breed, raised in the southern Aveyron region.

Question 3 : What is the name of the iconic holey cheese from the French Alps?

Possible answers:

  • Comté
  • Beaufort
  • Gruyère
  • Emmental

Explanation: Emmental de Savoie is characterized by its large holes formed during aging by bacteria that produce carbon dioxide gas.

Question 4 : Which uncooked pressed cheese, melted in half-wheel form, gives its name to a dish served on potatoes?

Possible answers:

  • Raclette
  • Reblochon
  • Beaufort
  • Tomme de Savoie

Explanation: Raclette is a raw cow's milk cheese originally from Swiss Valais, also produced in Savoie. The eponymous dish involves scraping the melted rind off a heated half-wheel and letting it run onto potatoes, accompanied by charcuterie.

Question 5 : Which AOP goat cheese is covered with a thin ash-coated rind?

Possible answers:

  • Sainte-Maure de Touraine
  • Crottin de Chavignol
  • Selles-sur-Cher
  • Valençay

Explanation: Selles-sur-Cher, a goat cheese from Centre-Val de Loire, is dusted with wood ash which gives it its characteristic gray-blue color.

Question 6 : From which French region does Comté come?

Possible answers:

  • Franche-Comté
  • Alsace
  • Savoie
  • Auvergne

Explanation: Comté is an AOP cheese from the Jura mountains (Franche-Comté), aged at least 4 months in cellars. It is the most produced AOP cheese in France.

Question 7 : Which Savoyard cheese melts deliciously in tartiflette?

Possible answers:

  • Beaufort
  • Raclette
  • Reblochon
  • Tomme de Savoie

Explanation: Reblochon, a raw cow's milk cheese, is the essential ingredient of tartiflette, a traditional Savoyard dish.

Question 8 : Which log-shaped goat cheese is famous in France?

Possible answers:

  • Chabichou du Poitou
  • Goat cheese log
  • Rocamadour
  • Picodon

Explanation: The goat cheese log is a fresh or aged cheese, particularly popular in the Loire Valley and Poitou.

Question 9 : What vibrant color is the paste of Mimolette?

Possible answers:

  • Pale yellow
  • Orange
  • Red
  • White

Explanation: Mimolette gets its characteristic orange color from annatto, a natural plant-based coloring added to the milk.

Question 10 : Which French cheese is famous for its blue veins?

Possible answers:

  • Camembert
  • Roquefort
  • Brie
  • Comté

Explanation: Roquefort develops its blue veins thanks to Penicillium roqueforti, a fungus naturally present in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

Question 11 : Which cheese traditionally accompanies fresh figs as a starter?

Possible answers:

  • Camembert
  • Roquefort
  • Brie
  • Fresh goat cheese

Explanation: Fresh goat cheese, with its creamy texture and mild taste, pairs perfectly with the sweetness of figs for a French cuisine classic.

Question 12 : Which very strong Corsican cheese is banned from commercial sale?

Possible answers:

  • Casu Marzu
  • Brocciu
  • Venaco
  • Niolo

Explanation: Casu Marzu is a Sardinian/Corsican cheese containing live larvae. Its sale is banned by the EU for health reasons.

Question 13 : Approximately how many AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses does France have?

Possible answers:

  • 46
  • 72
  • 120
  • 250

Explanation: France has 46 AOP cheeses, making it the country with the most protected cheeses in the world.

Question 14 : Which cheese is traditionally nicknamed "the king of cheeses"?

Possible answers:

  • Camembert
  • Roquefort
  • Comté
  • Brie de Meaux

Explanation: Brie de Meaux received this nickname at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, where it was voted the world's best cheese by European diplomats.

Question 15 : From which French region does Munster, the strong-smelling cheese, originate?

Possible answers:

  • Alsace
  • Lorraine
  • Savoy
  • Burgundy

Explanation: Munster is a soft washed-rind cheese produced in the Alsatian Vosges. Its name comes from the Latin word "monasterium" (monastery).

This quiz has been played 5 times