Fromage Blanc

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Fromage blanc is an acid-coagulated fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium whose name means white cheese. It looks like yogurt, tastes mild, and works in desserts and savoury dishes alike.

Key Facts

Specific Origin Northern France and southern Belgium
Texture Smooth and homogenous
Flavor Mild
Colors White
Also Known As maquée

What is Fromage Blanc Cheese?

Fromage blanc comes from the north of France and southern Belgium. The name means white cheese in French. It is also known as maquée.

It is an acid-coagulated fresh cheese. Its close relative, fromage frais, must contain live cultures when sold under French law. In fromage blanc, fermentation has been stopped.

The cheese resembles yogurt in appearance. The taste is mild and the mouthfeel smooth and homogenous, much like quark or cottage cheese.

It can be served as a dessert, spread on bread over or under jam, or stirred into savoury dishes. Supermarkets in many Western countries shelve it next to the yogurts. In the United Kingdom, where fromage frais arrived in the 1980s, it is often sweetened with sugar and mixed with fruit flavouring and sold as a children's dessert.