In France, we are fortunate to be able to enjoy a very wide variety of cheeses.
Does this mean that we have to introduce them all to our young child?
Yes, but only on one condition: do not offer raw milk cheese to a child under the age of three.
This is for health reasons. Indeed, a raw milk cheese is much more likely to contain bacteria that are potentially dangerous for a young child, such as listeria, or the vectors of brucellosis (especially for raw milk goat or sheep cheeses). Therefore, onlyoffer your child pasteurised milk cheeses.
As for the rind of the cheese, remove it. It carries many germs.
What about mould?
On the other hand, the moulds in blue and Roquefort cheeses are completely harmless, so you can introduce your young child to these cheeses at around one year of age.
Beware, these are very salty cheeses. All the more reason not to add salt to the contents of one's plate; in fact, this is a principle to be applied to all one's dishes. A child's salt requirements are very low compared to ours. So even if the contents of a jar seem bland - don't add salt.
In any case, don't limit your child to discovering only processed cheeses. They can discover and taste everything, provided that the cheeses are pasteurised. You will turn them into cheese lovers who will later enjoy rediscovering the virtues of Gruyère bread as a snack.
Enjoy your meal - and the cheese board too!
2 Comments. Write a new one
Hello,
I am not sure I understood correctly, so I wanted to get some confirmation from you.
In several magazines I have read, it is indicated that cheese made from raw milk such as Beaufort and Comté, could be given to a child under 1 year old even if the mention "pasteurized" did not appear because it is a cooked pressed paste. Obviously the fact that the cheese is cooked indicates that it has been heated to a high temperature to kill the so-called "dangerous" bacteria.
What do you think about it?
Thank you for your reply.
Hello,
This is indeed what is indicated in some magazines, but a cooked cheese is generally made at a temperature between 45 and 65°C, whereas pasteurisation is done at more than 72°C... The risks of contamination are indeed rare, but can be very serious. We therefore advise to proceed with the precautionary principle and to only give pasteurised cheese before the age of 3. After that, baby will have plenty of time to discover our good cheeses 🙂