In France, cheese is served before dessert. Learn the cultural, culinary and historical reasons behind this specific order in French meals.
Understanding the French Meal Structure
A Codified Culinary Sequence
The traditional French meal follows a strict structure. It typically includes: starter (entrée), main course (plat principal), cheese (fromage), dessert, and coffee. This sequence is not random. It reflects both historical habits and culinary logic. Serving cheese before dessert is a cultural rule in eating in France, especially in family meals or at restaurants offering a multi-course menu.
This practice is largely unknown outside of France. In the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia, cheese boards are often served after dessert or even instead of dessert. In France, this would be considered unusual or incorrect.
The Historical Roots of the Cheese Course
From Medieval Banquets to 20th Century Dining
Historically, the concept of cheese at the end of the meal dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, meals in France could involve up to fifteen courses, and cheese was part of the final savory sequence, long before sweet courses were common.
By the 18th century, cheese had become a separate course, positioned between the main dish and dessert. This sequence was popularized during the 19th century by Georges Auguste Escoffier, who codified modern French cuisine. His influence remains visible today, especially in formal French meals served in restaurants, gastronomic homes, and institutions.
This tradition also responded to the rise of dairy farming and cheese-making across French regions. Cheese became a national product to be highlighted and structured within meals, not just a snack.
Culinary Reasons Behind the Order
The Role of Cheese in Digestion
Serving cheese before dessert follows a physiological logic. After a main course, the palate is still adjusted to salty or umami flavors. Eating cheese at this moment allows the taste balance to remain consistent, especially with strong cheeses like Roquefort or Époisses. Moving directly from these flavors to a sweet dessert like a tarte Tatin or a mousse au chocolat would be jarring for the French palate.
Moreover, cheese contains fats and proteins that slow digestion, especially when followed by sugars. Some French dietitians claim that ending the meal with cheese contributes to better satiety and prevents post-meal hypoglycemia, although evidence is limited.
The Importance of Wine Pairing
The French also drink wine throughout the meal. Cheese pairs well with many red or white French wines, such as a Côtes-du-Rhône with Comté, or a Sancerre with Crottin de Chavignol. These pairings are harder to enjoy after sweet desserts, since sugar dulls the perception of wine flavors.
Cheese and wine are culturally linked in France, and maintaining them together as a course preserves this harmony. After dessert, wine is usually no longer served, apart from a digestif.
Social and Regional Habits
Cheese Is Not a Dessert
In French food culture, cheese is not seen as a “dessert”. A dessert, by definition in France, is sweet. Therefore, serving cheese after dessert would confuse the structure and undermine its culinary role. For many French families, a cheese plate with two or three options is common during Sunday lunch or festive dinners, especially in rural areas or in wine-producing regions like Burgundy or Alsace.
In some cases, especially in more casual settings or restaurants adapting to international clientele, cheese may be offered as an alternative to dessert. However, this is typically written on menus as “cheese or dessert“, not both.
Economic and Practical Considerations
Cheese is expensive in France, with quality cheese costing around 25 € per kilo (≈ £21 / \$27). As such, it is often reserved for the end of the savory part of the meal, but before a simpler dessert. Some restaurants may charge a supplement of 6–12 € (≈ £5–10 / \$6.5–13) for a cheese course. The French consumer generally accepts this, given the cultural importance of cheese.
Contemporary Trends and Variations
Urban Practices and Global Influence
In modern France, especially in Paris or Lyon, younger generations may sometimes skip the cheese course. Time constraints, lighter eating habits and the influence of international cuisines have altered how full meals are consumed. Yet, the custom of placing cheese before dessert remains dominant, especially in formal meals or restaurants offering menu gastronomique.
The exception often comes in cheese-focused restaurants or wine bars, where cheese may come last with a glass of vintage red. This remains a niche gastronomic experience, and not a shift in national practice.
Tourist Confusion and Menu Design
International visitors are often surprised by this order. Some French menus designed for tourists now label the cheese as “cheese course” and the dessert as “sweet course”, to avoid confusion. In cooking schools like Le Cordon Bleu Paris, students are explicitly trained to follow this structure when serving French meals.
A Meal Structure Rooted in Culture
Serving cheese before dessert in France is not a random habit. It is rooted in centuries of culinary tradition, built upon the logic of taste, digestion, and wine pairing. It reflects a cultural value placed on order and balance in meals, and on the distinct identity of cheese as a course of its own. While eating habits may evolve, this practice remains a central marker of food in France and of how the French cook and dine.
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