#FrenchFromageFriday: What is AOP?

Happy #FrenchFromageFriday, nos amis! We are excited to share this special edition of FFF with you this week, defining terms about French cheese!

Did you know that in France there are 46 name-protected dairy products? Similar to champagne, these cheeses, butters and creams have very specific qualifications that allow them to be called by their names. In France, these prestigious labels placed on products like cheese, wine and even peppers (!) are called AOP: Appellation d’Origine Protégée (protected designation of origin).

AOP products are designated by the French government, who grant different products and maintain quality of already designated products yearly. The distinction is meant to honor tradition and culture, but most importantly terroir, or the complete environment in which products are made or grown, including climate, soil and topography. Terroir is HUGE in France and, honestly, anywhere great food is concerned. We can’t help but believe the taste of place is why these products are so delicious; it all stems back to the earth. To qualify for AOP, cheeses are made in specific regions, with bonds to the land and terroir, and have different qualifying techniques including specific methods of how the cheese is made, aging processes and how the animals are treated right down to what they’re fed and grazing patterns!

AOP vs AOC: What’s the difference?

There are many European product labels and distinctions, and the ones that confused us the most at first was AOP vs AOC. Luckily, they are essentially synonymous with each other, although we use AOP more widespread since its creation in the 90’s. AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) came first in France, handing out its first designation to Roquefort in 1925. France and the European Union now recognize AOP as the standard for French (and some European) products, but it’s okay to use AOC and AOP interchangeably!

Other terms defined:

PDO: Protected Designation of Origin, a distinction given from the EU to grant protected geographical status

DOC/DOP: Denominazione di Origine Controllata/Protetta, Italy’s designation on cheese and wine

DO: Denominación de Origen, Spain’s qualifying term

We hope you find this post helpful and clarifying! We love Europe’s dedication to terroir and taste of place. All that being said, there are some fantastic cheeses both in Europe and the US that have no name protection, so while name protected cheeses help distinguish quality, don’t let that limit your tastebuds!

From left to right: Roquefort AOC, Langres AOC and Gruyere (Swiss AOP)