French cheese:pasteurized, unpasteurized
 

I'm going to Paris next week, and my OB said not to eat any unpasteurized cheese; aside from the obvious soft cheeses, such as Roquefort,how will I be able to tell? Thanks, if anyone has any thoughts about this.

The cheeses are one of the highlights of France. You won't get sick, and it's because they are unpasteurized that they taste better.

Hi<BR><BR>60m French + the more in the other countries have survived eating unpasteurised cheese ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR><BR>

Hey people--read what she said. She is PREGNANT and her doctor says not to eat unpasteurized milk cheeses. There is a book about French cheeses that will tell you. I am afraid that most will be unpasteurized. You might ask him if it makes a difference if they are aged.<BR>You might google to look for info. It is too bad you won't be able to partake of many but the reward will be worth it!! I have the book and will try to look some up for you. Good luck.

If you ask, the seller will tell you. Sellers in the street markets and in cheese shops tend to know what they sell. They will be able to tell you which ones are unpasteurized and what kind of milk each cheese is made from and what region it is from. <BR><BR>I love the unpasteurized cheeses, and I am not at all worried about eating them. However, if your immune system is compromised or if there are other personal medical reasons why your doc advised you not to consume them, you should be able to get good enough info from vendors to enable you to avoid them.

People seem totally unaware that pregnant women SHOULD NOT EVER consume unpasteurized products.

The danger to pregnant moms (to the babies, actually) from listeria monocytogenes in unpasteurized dairy products is a real one.<BR><BR>http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/09/27/cheese.reut/

Thanks for the url, suzy! We all learned something.

PG -- I am also pg and am going to Paris in 2 weeks. My dr. said it is one of the "most difficult" countries to go to while pg. She commanded no cheese because of the difficulty in finding pasteurized cheese (and yes, the threat of listeria is real -- it usually doesn't sicken the adult, but can kill the baby), so I'm glad to see the responses to your post that suggest that I may be able to find some cheeses that will be okay.<BR><BR>Just to share her other advice -- my OB also said no beef or lamb (the French have a real problem with toxoplasmosis), no pate', limited fish (12 oz per week). I guess I'll be eating lots of coq au vin and pastry!<BR><BR>Another question -- does creme brulee have undercooked eggs??? Anyway to know if any sauces or other desserts also contain undercooked eggs?<BR><BR>Thanks -- and enjoy Paris!

Here's another link to info on food-borne illnesses that are harmful to developing babies:<BR><BR>http://www.modimes.org/HealthLibrary/334_543.htm

Since toxoplasmosis is killed in well-cooked meats, you should be OK with boeuf bourguignon (sp?) and such, to alternate with your coq au vin. <BR><BR>Some experts estimate that half the US population has already been exposed to toxoplasmosis, and there is an antibody test that can determine whether you've already had it; if so, you are not at risk for a new, dangerous infection while pregnant.

Hi<BR><BR>think about it.<BR><BR>60 m French people ................ did none of their parents eat unpasteurised cheese ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

I'm glad for the replier who said that the cheese monger will know.The book I am referring to is the Eyewitness Guide to French Cheeses. I went through it, salivating at every page. But here are some ideas in case you want to look on a restaurant menu. I will do another post for the rest.Formatting didn't hold<BR>Port Salut<BR>Pont-l’Eveque (most)<BR>Olivet cendre<BR>Neufchatel (some)<BR>Nantais/Cure<BR>Murol<BR>Coeur d’Arras<BR>Coeur d’Avesnes<BR>Baguette Laonnaise<BR>Mamirolle<BR>Langres<BR>Petit-Suisse<BR>Fontainebleau<BR>(fromage frais)<BR>Fourme d’Ambert<BR>L’Amise du<BR>Chambetin<BR>Emmental (Not grand<BR>cru however)<BR>Chaumes<BR>Aligot/Tomme<BR>Fraiche (some)<BR>Saint Remy<BR>Cantal (some)<BR>Coulommiers (some)<BR>Bresse Bleu<BR>Bleu de Sassengage<BR>Bleu du Quercy<BR>Bleu d’Aubergne<BR>Trappist de<BR>Chambaran<BR>Trappe Chourgnal<BR>Tomme de Romans<BR>Tomme de Savoie<BR>(some)<BR>Sainte Paulin<BR>Le Pitchout<BR>Rigotte des Alpes<BR><BR>

I think most of them printed out. Have a great trip and return when you can eat everything. Roquefort is a definite "NO"--couldn't tell if that was what you said. But there are other blues. There are hard, soft, chevre, and fraiche cheeses that you can have. I know you will be judicious as you have already illustrated.

I think most of them printed out. Have a great trip and return when you can eat everything. Roquefort is a definite "NO"--couldn't tell if that was what you said. But there are other blues. There are hard, soft, chevre, and fraiche cheeses that you can have. I know you will be judicious as you <BR>have already illustrated.<BR><BR>To Lisa, creme brulee should be safe--it is "gelled". Can't think of much else that would be of danger.

I was pregnant twice in this country and survived. I did avoid unpasteurized cheese, which is hard and quite painful if you love it. But don't worry, French cheese shops are used to this question. French women are also warned about toxo and not eating unpasteurized cheese. Unfortunately, this limits you to industrial cheeses sold in supermarkets such as Boursin (which you can get in the US!) and some Dutch cheeses, which are delicious but...not French. Do not eat hard cheese such as gruyere (pates cuites) thinking that because the cheese is cooked during the process that it is ok! It's still made from unpasteurized milk. I would also avoid salads in anything but the best restaurants. So it's not the best time to splurge on gourmet food and wine, but enjoy your trip any way. Luckily for you, there''s many other things in France to enjoy. Like dessert (creme brulee is cooked so ok to eat). Have fun and don't hesitate to send email if you have any questions.

Thank you for all the helpful advice, everyone. Gretchen, I am uncertain if those are pasteurized or unpasteurized cheeses on your list? Thank you for taking the time to research it.

I'm the person who said the cheese vendor would know, but I want to admit that I'm not an expert on France, so don't put TOO much trust in my answer. I was in France (Provence and the Dordogne) only twice in recent years, and another two times long ago. On the recent trips, I enjoyed buying food at street markets. I was impressed with the kind of info the sellers had about the regional origins of their fruits, how their olives were prepared, what their cheeses were like, what was inside the flavored breads and pizza-like things. There seemed to be a lot more info than I would normally expect in the US from casual sellers, and the level of info was more like what I get from some fussy, very well informed, talkative owners of specialty food stores near where I live in the US. And the sellers seemed to welcome questions from a curious foreigner who didn't speak French well at all. That's why I'm fairly sure that you could get a good answer re which cheeses are/are not pasteurized. However, in light of the information posted above re unpasteurized cheese being such a serious risk to the unborn baby, maybe it wouldn't be so wise to depend on the seller's info, just in case you get some uninterested or poorly informed ones.

The owner of a dayry product shop will most probably know which cheese are pasteurized and which are not. But i wouldn't put much faith in the advice of the person who sell cheese in a supermarket.

As a physician at a university, one thing I have seen over and over again is how often students, with absolutely no knowledge of medicine, give advice to their friends, as to what they should and shouldn't do with certain symptoms and illnesses. It's a common phenomenon, like people with an unexplained skin lesion always saying they think it is a spider bite. ( a universally seen presentation to doctors offices ) Here you have people, with no experience in the reality of practicing medicine, offering advice to a stranger on how she should conduct herself in France. Isn't that amazing. Do you think for a minute, if they had to sign their real names and addresses, they would put out such information. It's very easy to hid behind the wall of obscurity and tell people how they should behave in regards to their health, but drop that veil, and let's see how many of you would step forward.