The Whole Fromage

July 22, 2013
While waiting for a flight at Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport, essayist Kathe Lison picked up a book that would forever change her lifeâor at least her palate. That book, a visual guide to more than 350 cheeses, inspired her on an immersive tour over 6,800 miles of France in the name of French cheese. Lison's own book is an account of this journey as she takes the reader from the very origin of cheese itself to the modern day, smartly focusing on trip highlights rather than a day-by-day approach which enables her to recount small storiesâthe science of cheese addiction , the creation of Camembert, the drama behind Roquefort and its many pretendersâin addition to broader themes such as the impact of terroir on cheese's flavor and the great raw-milk debate. Though she probably spends more time than necessary on Camembert, Lisbon seamlessly conveys the experience of tasting the creamy, luscious cheese and its many cousins. Part travelogue, part homage to fromage, Lisbon's book is informative and endearing and will appeal to foodies, Francophiles, and hungry readers.

May 15, 2013
Her curiosity piqued by the multitude of French cheeses, essayist and self-proclaimed cheesehead Lison chronicles her tasty culinary journey exploring the art and science of French cheese making. Since she grew up in Wisconsin, the nation's largest producer of cheese, her "interest in cheese was inevitable." Following a perusal of a French cheese encyclopedia describing more than 350 kinds of fermented milk, the author poses a basic question: "Why produce this crazy number of cheeses? I mean, why not just one nice sharp cheddar?" Lison's query engendered nearly 7,000 miles of travel and the consumption of copious amounts of artisanal cheese. The author trekked from high alpine barnyards to sparkling multinational corporate headquarters, talking with shepherds and scientists. Along the way, Lison discourses on the merits of hand milking vs. portable milking machines and the history of the classification system, which consists of five basic types of cheese. The author explores what makes some cheeses so stinky and why, since the Middle Ages Roquefort, cheese and the concept of appellation have been intertwined. Lison attended what she calls a "cheese-tasting debutante ball" and explains the real meaning behind the Camembert War. "Camembert however, is the dream of the French cheese," she writes, "a fromage so closely linked with Frenchness in the minds of people everywhere that just the name 'Camembert' evokes visions of berets and fleurs-de-lys." The author laces the narrative with satisfying kernels of French agricultural history, especially data concerning the pressures of the post-World War II environment and its role in hollowing out the population of the French countryside. Whether Lison is ruminating on the short lactation cycle of sheep, the origins of rennet, or the grassy, lemony taste of a spring goat cheese, readers will have all their senses engaged.

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June 1, 2013

These so-called adventures focus on a cross section of French cheeses such as Roquefort and Camembert. Essayist Lison travels through rural France in search of cheeses and their makers, encountering less of the romantic ideal of hand-milked animals and small fromageries than she would like. There isn't a clearly articulated itinerary or a well-defined route, and the overall narrative thread is lost among the rich historical detail crammed into each chapter. Ultimately, the author doesn't clarify why she chose these particular cheeses or made these expeditions. The last, short chapter, wherein the author attends a banquet for the Confrerie des Tastes-Fromages de Langres, points to a missed opportunity; this terrifically funny account of the food and ceremony featured at the feast hints at how much sharper the rest of the book could have been. VERDICT Loaded with detail but lacking narrative substance, this book is recommended only for collections where there is strong interest in writings on cheese.--Peter Hepburn, Coll. of the Canyons Lib., Santa Clarita, CA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2013
If anyone in America has a right to claim authority on the subject of cheese, author Lison does because she's a born cheesehead, hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nevertheless, she herself took cheese pretty much for granted till she touched down in France for the first time. Her travels there took her from one French province to another and to all manner of farms and cheese producers. She learned firsthand the allure of cow cheeses, sheep cheeses, and goat cheeses. She discovered the distinctions that make each of the literally hundreds of French cheeses unique, and, perhaps most important, she learned to judge a cheese's moment of perfect ripeness. A lot of books have been published about the history, culture, and virtues of France's cheeses, but this one celebrates the farmers, dairymen, and cheese makers who have established France's cheeses as still the world's standard.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)