The traditional cheese has gone viral online (Picture: Shutterstock / Foodpictures)
From Brie to Roquefort, some absolutely fantastic cheeses are produced in France.
The country has long been renowned for its fromage, but it seems even those who have been raised with it are still discovering new favourites.
A foodie trend has taken off online, and it involves a runny type of cheese that’s thought to date back more than 2,000 years.
The cheese in question? It’s known as cancoillotte.
What is Cancoillotte?
The traditional cheese, pronounced can-quoi-yote, is sometimes known as ‘the glue’. This is because it’s somewhere between a sauce and a fondue in terms of consistency, with a unique, silky texture.
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You could spread it on crusty bread, use it as a dip for crudites, or just eat it straight out of the pot with a spoon.
It originates from Franche-Comté in eastern France, and according to Florent Gacon, the co-founder of The French Comte in Borough Market, the flavour is ‘savoury, tangy, and gently nutty with a distinctive fermented character that gives it a lot of depth’.
Don’t be put off by the rather ‘pungent’ aroma, the expert warns, because on the palate, the taste is actually rather ‘delicate and comforting’.
How is it made?
Cancoillotte is made from metton, which is cow’s milk that has been skimmed to remove fat, coagulated, gently heated, and pressed to form a crumbly curd.
This metton is left to mature and ferment for several days, until it has quite a strong aroma.
Finally, the solid metton is heated with some butter, water, and salt.
As well as natural cancoillotte, several flavoured varieties are also sold, including garlic, Jura wine, and mushrooms.
Since 2022, cancoillotte has been recognised as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which is an official sign of quality across Europe. It guarantees that at least one stage of production takes place in a specific area. In this case, the geographical area for the manufacture of cancoillotte is the Franche-Comté region and parts of the neighbouring departments (Ain, Saône-et-Loire, Côte d’Or, Haute-Marne, Vosges).
Why is it having a moment?
The cheese has been going viral on French TikTok, as gym fiends have hailed it as a ‘cheat code’ for enjoying cheese while trying to meet fitness goals.
This is because it’s one of the only natural cheeses with less than 10 per cent fat, and it’s also high in protein, with around 16g of protein per 100g.
Influencer @johanpapz shared a post about the product, which has amassed more than 2.2million views.
Johan, who says he works out six times a week, claims that the day he discovered the cheese was ‘the best day’ of his life.
In his clip, he pours a tub of cancoillotte over a plate of potatoes, saying: ‘How is it scientifically possible that a melted cheese is so delicious and has almost no fat in it?’
‘I can eat this and still have these,’ he adds, lifting his top to show off his abs.
Many other French foodies are also just discovering the cheese for the first time, and branding it a ‘number one favourite’, a product they ‘can’t live without’, and ‘so indulgent’.
In one video, a woman known only as @nono_457 says: ‘Frenchied so hard I started eating cancoillotte like it was ice cream.’
Florent believes part of the reason why the cheese is proving so popular online is because of how it looks.
He tells Metro: ‘Part of its appeal on social media is undoubtedly its texture. When heated, it becomes irresistibly glossy and stretchy, which makes for great videos.
‘At the same time, consumers are increasingly becoming interested in regional specialities and lesser-known cheeses, and cancoillotte offers something genuinely different from the cheeses most people encounter every day.’
Have you tried cancoillotte before?
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Where can you buy it in the UK?
According to the team at The French Comte, the cheese is still considered ‘relatively niche’ in the UK, but curiosity around it is growing, thanks to social media and French travel.
You can buy cancoillotte from The French Comte’s stall at Borough Market, or online via the brand’s website.
A 200g tub of natural cancoillotte will set you back £7.50, and they have several other flavour options too, including garlic, shallot, and vin jaune (yellow wine).
For those not in London, it’s worth seeking out cheesemongers that stock French cheeses and specialist French delis such as La Petite France in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk
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