Cheese in Beijing: Le Fromager to the Rescue

March 9th – Update below!

Before coming to China, I never thought about cheese being an issue. It’s just always been part of my life, bouts of lactose intolerance not withstanding. As a kid in Colorado I lived close to a dairy, where my mom would buy something called “squeaky” cheese. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never eaten, seen or heard of it since. In Kuwait I discovered the joys of labneh (more of a thick yogurt, but still cheese-like), halloumi (cheese you can fry in the frying pan!) and Kraft spreadable cheese in a jar. (Those of you who know what I’m talking about know exactly how addictive that stuff is; pretty remarkable for a substance that probably isn’t even really cheese. After more than ten years since leaving Kuwait, I nearly cried when I found a jar of it in an Iranian import shop in North Toronto.) In Toronto, we lived within walking distance of two cheese shops. More emporiums than shops, these were the kind of places where’d you go in and you couldn’t even see the guy working behind the counter because of all the stacks of cheese. These were also the kind of places where you could just throw out a random cheese name and the clerk would produce about five different slices to try, balanced on a cheese slicer that would suddenly appear between cheese stacks. There wasn’t a cheese on earth these guys hadn’t heard of.

Then there was China. A place where cheese just isn’t part of the culinary culture. A place where people actually think cheese is kind of gross. If you’ve seen the cheese selection in a Chinese supermarket, you’d probably understand why everyone thinks it’s bloody awful. You can occasionally find a block of Land O’Lakes cheddar cheese, but mostly you find Kraft American Singles knock-offs. It’s either that or Laughing Cow soft cheese wannabes. Plastic, in other words. High dollar plastic! Cheese is not cheap.

In Beijing there are a whole range of import supermarkets which feature cheese sections overflowing with imported cheddars and camembert and Emmental, etc. But it’s all just meh. Overpriced and meh. Again, plastic.

Le Fromager de Pekin to the rescue. The “cheese guy” is Liu Yang and he is single-handedly introducing cheese culture to Beijing with his artisanal cheeses, handmade in his workshop. Although most of his clients are expats, he is slowly winning over Beijing locals, even if they’re only buying it for their kids. (Shortly after our arrival a Chinese mom and her two kids came into the shop to buy a few different kinds of cheese. Yay!)

Liu Yang appeared in the above video made by Mercedes-Benz, from an ad campaign featuring Chinese who have made their dreams come true.

Liu Yang went to France to study management. Somewhere along the way he fell in love with cheese and became a cheese maker. Last week I was lucky enough to visit his shop with a group of friends. We were barely through the door when Liu Yang opened a bottle of wine, served us a spectacular cheese tray and invited us to enjoy his hard work. His cheeses are wonderful – from the light blue cheese to the ricotta to the soft pyramid to the tangy garden herb to the special Beijing “grey” to my favorite, a very nice tomme cheese. After tasting all the different cheeses (more like devouring them!) we toured the workshop as Liu Yang explained the production process. Liu Yang imported some of the cheese making equipment, such as the plastic molds, from France, while some of it was custom-made under his direction. He uses Wondermilk, as you’ll see in the video above.

Wine and cheese in the afternoon sun

Simply fabulous – pop a mini-tomme into a 180C oven for 10 minutes. So much better than fondue.

In the workshop – Liu Yang and his assistant prepare tomme cheese

Weights are used to compress the cheese and help with removing the liquid

Here the cheese matures

This room is also known as “heaven”

Le Fromager de Pekin on a nondescript street in north Beijing

The cheese was delicious and I really had to restrain myself from purchasing a large amount since I figured, in the DH’s absence, I was much too likely to have cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But more than making delicious cheese, what I appreciate about Le Fromager de Pekin is that he is doing something authentically, something he truly loves, in a place where it’s not exactly the easiest thing to do. As he says in his Mercedes spot, “It is difficult for me to imagine working for others, because then I would be working for somebody else’s dream.” I admire anyone who has the courage to work for their own dream and to produce something distinctive and well-crafted to boot.

Le Fromager de Pekin is located by the Xindi Market on Longteng Street in Huilongguan, in north Beijing. You can arrive by subway line 13 (and a short walk north – map on their website). However, there’s no need to visit the shop in person to buy cheese. Liu Yang and his team will deliver cheese to your door every Wednesday and Friday. (Visit the website to fill in an order form.) Or you can find their cheese in central Beijing at Sanyuan Li Market stalls 29-31 and at the Boucherie Française at #40 Jianchang Hutong in Dongcheng District.

As we were leaving, a photographer showed up to take press photos of the shop and Liu Yang. Le Fromager de Pekin’s reputation is growing by the day. Liu Yang was also featured on the lovely blog Nicely Made in China.

Update: Today, 9th March, I received a newsletter from Le Fromager de Pekin (via a Yahoo Group I belong to), which gives an update on Beijing locations to buy cheese:

• Xin Yuan Li Market, stall 29-31 (Gris de pekin, Gris aux herbes, fromage blanc, pyramid, buchette, Tomme)
• April Gourmet Chunxiu Lu (Tomme, Pyramide)
• French Butchery near the Confucious Temple (Gris de Pekin, Pyramide, Gris aux herbes) [I think this is Boucherie Française]
• Colours de Vie near the China World (Tomme, Crottin, Pyramid, Buchette)
• Embassy House Mondays and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m (Tomme, Fromage Blanc Pyramid, Gris de Pekin)

He’ll also be selling at the Expat Show, March 25, 26, 27 at Guo Mao Exhibition Hall. He also says he sold out of his new Beijing Bleu (it is really good!) and will be offering St. Nectaire in coming weeks. Lots to look forward to in the world of cheese!!

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