Home cheesemaker Colleen Graham of Chicago has found a unique way around the Illinois state laws that prohibit the sale of raw milk—she simply bought a partial share of a cow and, as owner, is free to do with the milk what she pleases. More

Photograph from Wikimedia Commons A few weeks back, JGordon left a comment on my post regarding France's raw-milk cheese war: "Could someone explain the difference between pasteurized cheeses and raw milk cheeses? Does pasteurization just destroy the flavor of cheese?... Despite the near-illegality of raw milk and its rare consumption, several hundred people a year become ill from drinking raw milk, with the occasional death. Is cheese safer, or is the taste difference very significant?" The raw-milk debate isn't going away anytime soon, so I thought it would be a good time to answer questions like those above and lay down my take on the matter.... More

"Every victory for raw milk is a victory for cheesemakers everywhere." Photograph from Wikimedia Commons For almost two years now, we at Serious Eats have been following France's long and arduous battle over raw milk Camembert. Last spring we reported that the clash had been settled—that French authorities had ruled that cheese made from lightly pasteurized milk could not be called A.O.C. Camembert. This week Business Week ran an interesting and detailed piece on the issue, which reports that the two large corporations that had been lobbying for pasteurized Camembert, and that had ceased production of raw milk cheese entirely, are now in fact considering a return to raw milk production. Ultimately this is a victory for traditional foodways and... More

In this morning's New York Times, Elaine Sciolino reports that certain French Camembert makers want to change the rules to allow the formerly unpasteurized raw milk used to make traditional Camembert to be treated and yet still receive the authenticating AOC designation from the government. A couple of years ago, Jeffrey Steingarten and I sat down at Artisanal with one of its young fromagers for a taste test to find out if one could tell the difference between treated and untreated Camembert. Cheese gendarmes, please note that the untreated, raw-milk cheese had been smuggled in by a third party unrelated to either me, Steingarten, or the fellow from Artisanal.... More