You know I love cheese. When I research French cheeses every week for my little cheese festival, la Fête du Fromage, over at Chez Loulou, I often come across the term raw milk cheese.

Raw milk cheese. What is it exactly?

The definition given by the Raw Milk Cheese Association, an organization which was founded to protect and promote raw milk cheese and it's producers, is as follows:

Cheese produced from milk that, prior to setting the curd, has not been heated above the temperature of the milk at the time of milking.

About 10 years ago the Food and Drug Administration proposed banning ALL raw milk cheeses made in and brought into the US. The fear of losing well-loved Roquefort and Parmigiano-Reggiano, both raw milk cheeses, prompted thousands to sign petitions protesting the proposal and the ban was never implemented.

Slow Food USA has helped to create a "Raw Milk Cheese Presidium,"

to help protect endangered American raw milk cheeses and to encourage their production while adhering to a protocol consistent with the values of Slow Foods.

There are many small cheese makers who would appreciate your support. If you're a cheese lover, why not spend that extra little bit and try some cheese from your local producer? You're bound to discover something new and wonderful!

Some related links:

American Cheese Society
New York State Artisan and Farmstead Cheese Makers Guild
Oregon Cheese Guild
Maine Cheese Guild
Vermont Cheese Council
California Cheese Guild
Pennsylvania Farmstead and Artisan Cheese Alliance