This week, CILFA students visited Mr. Pierre GAY’s cheese shop in downtown Annecy.
After preparing questions with the help of their teacher, they visited Mr. Gay’s cheese shop, a true institution on Rue Carnot in Annecy. In fact, this cheese shop was founded by Pierre Gay’s grandfather in 1935! Pierre Gay was awarded the title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 2011. This distinction is awarded following an exam held every three or four years for each trade category. Thanks to this title, Mr. Gay travels around the world to promote the quality of French cheeses.
At CILFA, we sometimes talk about cheese during French classes, but during this educational activity, the students had the opportunity to practice their French as a Foreign Language with a professional. They had a lively exchange with Mr. Gay, who gladly answered their many questions. The discussion was lively, and the tasting took place in a very friendly atmosphere. We tasted three cheeses: fresh goat cheese, Tomme de Savoie, and Beaufort. To accompany these cheeses, we drank a white wine from Savoie: Roussette. Through a glass window, we could see a beautiful aging cellar right below us.
Five cheeses from Savoie have a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin): Abondance, the Beaufort, the Chevrotin, the Reblochon, and the Tome des Bauges.
Three cheeses from Savoie have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI): Emmental de Savoie, Raclette de Savoie, and Tomme de Savoie.
Do you know any expressions that include the word “cheese”? For example, “to make a big deal out of it” means “to make a big fuss over nothing.”
A video from a past tasting at the Gay cheese shop with other CILFA students:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=I1cxW0dN_mc
To learn everything about the cheeses from Savoie:
http://www.fromagesdesavoie.fr/fr/
