Exciting news from across the Channel: a viral cheese has arrived, but good luck spelling or saying it. According to Libération, cancoillotte (even native speakers apparently struggle with the pronunciation), a liquid cheese from Franche-Comté in eastern France, is taking over fitness social media. It has 16g of protein per 100g (as the French gym crowd says), low fat content, and a bargain price. Its secret ingredient is a skimmed milk product called metton, traditionally a byproduct of butter-making that thrifty peasants reused to avoid waste.
Those peasants from Franche-Comté could hardly have imagined where their waste-not-want-not goo would end up. In April, social media personality Johan Papz said discovering cancoillotte was “the best day of my life.” He flamboyantly poured the pale ooze over a plate of potatoes like a moister version of Salt Bae, then showed off the abs that its impressive macronutrients helped him build. Another cancoillotte influencer has made 178 TikToks on the topic and traveled over 300 miles on a pilgrimage to Franche-Comté. Julie Morin, president of the association for promoting cancoillotte, called the online enthusiasm for the product “incredible,” while supermarket Carrefour told Libération that sales of the garlic variety (of course) rose 16% last month.
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But watching endless social media videos of people in Gymshark vests and crop tops handling cancoillotte has left me feeling queasy. For one thing, I hate cheese, and its weird texture creeps me out: it’s like a whey-based slime, fondue’s sinister skinny cousin, a low-fat lactose ectoplasm.
But I also feel a vague cultural betrayal: aren’t French people supposed to care about taste over macros and lean muscle mass? I’m not saying there’s a completely body-positive, pleasure-focused culture over there. A quick look at French women’s magazines, where the spring-summer “régime maillot” (swimsuit diet) full of 0% fat yogurts appears as reliably as apple blossoms, would quickly change anyone’s mind. But what about the “art of living” and the savor-the-finer-things dream they’ve been selling the world for decades?
I’m with Escoffier: “Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.” Slapping supermarket cancoillotte on chicken breasts for gym #gains just feels depressingly like the end of days. Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the topic The French are meeting their protein targetsthanks to a cheese that looks like ectoplasm
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What cheese looks like ectoplasm
Answer Its likely Cancoillotte It has a runny almost liquid texture that looks like a ghostly goo
2 Is this a new cheese
Answer No Cancoillotte is a traditional French cheese from the FrancheComté region made for centuries Its just getting attention for its high protein content
3 How much protein is in it
Answer About 1215 grams of protein per 100 gramssimilar to a chicken breast but with fewer calories and less fat
4 Does it taste like regular cheese
Answer Not really Its mild slightly tangy and a bit salty Its often melted and eaten warm on bread or potatoes
5 Is it healthy
Answer Yes for a cheese Its low in fat and high in protein But its still processed so eat it in moderation as part of a balanced diet
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 Why is this cheese helping the French meet their protein targets
Answer The French traditionally eat balanced meals but often lack protein in snacks Cancoillotte is cheap easy to spread and packs a protein punch without the fat of harder cheeses making it a convenient protein source for all ages
7 How is Cancoillotte made to be so high in protein
Answer Its made from skimmed milk curds that are melted with water and a little butter The curds are naturally high in casein protein while the fat is removed concentrating the protein
8 Is it a complete protein
Answer Yes Like all dairy products Cancoillotte is a complete protein source meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids your body needs
9 Can I use it in cooking
