Rick Steves’ Europe: A Cheese-Lover’s Europe

While experiencing the cultural wonders of Europe, step out of your comfort zone—especially into the more expensive, more stinky cheeses.

On Friday mornings between April and August in Alkmaar, Netherlands, cheesemakers neatly line up their cheeses for prospective buyers to examine. Cameron Hewitt, Rick Steves’ Europe

When I’m traveling, I become a cultural chameleon. I love a good pilsner in Prague, red wine in Tuscany, and a cheese course in France. For a cheese-lover, savoring Europe means savoring its cheeses—they’re not only part of the cuisine, they’re part of the culture. Here are just a few tips on how to see Europe as a tasty festival of mold.

France: In France, a love for beauty and tradition includes a fondness for artisan cheese that comes in wedges, cylinders, balls, and mini hockey pucks; and they’re sometimes powdered white, gray, or burnt marshmallow. Thankfully for the traveler, I find the cheese mongers of France to be evangelical about their fine and varied products.