The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese by Kathe Lison

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

The French, sans doute, love their fromages.  And there's much to love: 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 wonder: 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 Franc 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 chevre, and yet as unsentimental as stinky Maroilles, The Whole Fromage is a tasty exploration of one of the great culinary treasures of France.

my thoughts:

How awesome does this book sound?  Cheese, cheese, and more cheese! Delish!  Plus, we get to learn all about it and can finally tell the difference between brie and Camembert.  Oh, and its all about French cheese, which everyone knows is AMAZING!!  So, what more could I ask for in a book, especially during Paris in July 2013?  Suffice it to say, I'm ready to dive into Lison's engaging and funny stories about all the travel and adventure she embarked on to learn about the "Delectable World of French Cheese."   I plan to sit myself down with a nice cheese platter, a huge glass of wine, and this lovely tome.  Talk about a nice way to spend my Saturday.  I can't wait!  And yes, I know that today is that last day of Paris in July, but I figured I could always post about a book that I shall be reading for the challenge, even if I'll be doing so after the challenge is over.  After all, who doesn't love to read about France and cheese?

Here are some blurbs from the back of the book declaring what a wonderful book this is for foodies:

"Reading The Whole Fromage is like enjoying an illicit raw-milk Brie. Kathe Lison follows her nose across France to explore the country's wild obsession with cheese…If Joan Didion had fallen tastebuds over heels for French cheese, then she might have written this book." —Tenaya Darlington, author of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese

 "A mouth-watering read."—New York Post

 “Marvelous. Chockfull of humor, story-telling, passion and adventure, Kathe Lison’s cheese journey through France reads more like a novel than a true story. Plus, it conveys such a 'you are there' feeling that by the time you finish you’ve managed to take an entire trip without leaving your living room.”—Laura Werlin, author of Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials
 
 "France is a cheese-driven country, and this book gets right to its pungent, creamy heart." —Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French

Oh and check out Kathe Lison's, The Whole Fromage on Pinterest here. 

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Broadway Books for providing me with a copy of this book!