Ever wondered what cheeses you can legally bring back from Europe? Would you take a risk on any of the French cheeses pictured above? Maybe you would bury a couple of beauties in your suitcase and “forget” to declare them? I’ve covered this ground before, but with so many people traveling internationally again, it’s worth a refresher. Even a cheesemonger friend of mine who’s headed to Switzerland soon didn’t know the regs.
First things first: Always, always declare what you have. Worst-case scenario, you’ll have to sacrifice your treasures, but you won’t be fined or detained. If you’re caught with undeclared and USDA-prohibited items, you could face a penalty up to $10,000.
Corsican cheeses at a festival honoring the island’s shepherds
But here’s the good news. As long as it’s for your personal consumption—not for resale—you can bring almost any European cheese into the U.S. It doesn’t need to be vacuum-sealed. Packaging has nothing to do with whether a Customs agent will seize it. Even stinky raw-milk cheeses are welcome here. My friend going to Switzerland can bring back all the Vacherin Mont d’Or she’s willing to carry.
Note that these regulations apply to cheese that you’re bringing home in personal baggage, not to cheese you might want to ship home. (I don’t recommend that.) Put the cheese in your checked suitcase rather than a carry-on. The plane’s baggage hold is cooler than those overhead bins.
The exceptions are few but you need to know them:
• No cheese with meat in it. I can’t think of a cheese with meat in it, but if you find one, leave it behind.
• No cheese that “pours like a liquid.” The only cheese I know that fits that description is cancoillotte, but the USDA website lists ricotta and cottage cheese as examples.
Curiously, a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) spokesperson told me via e-mail that cheese in brine (like feta) was admissible but cheese in liquid was not. Go figure. I probably would not tempt the gods on that one.
My former San Francisco Chronicle colleague Blake Gray wrote an amusing post on the subject of bringing European cheese home, recounting his aggravating experience in a duty-free shop in Lyon. Gray’s understanding of the regulations is the same as mine.
Two caveats:
No matter what the regulations say, you could encounter a CBP agent on re-entry who has a different idea of the rules. Do you want to do battle in the Newark airport at midnight? I suggest bookmarking the USDA link to support your case. Here’s the page you need. Click on “Milk and Dairy Products.”
Before packing any cheese in your luggage, consider whether you can get it home in good shape. How long is that journey, and are you likely to encounter delays? Hard cheeses travel better than soft ones.
I also consulted Susan Sturman about bringing cheese back from France. Sturman is an American living in Paris who trains cheesemongers for Mons Formation. I wanted to know how she advised the many American visitors she shepherds through Paris cheese shops.
“I would recommend that purchasers have their cheese shrink wrapped if possible, being aware that certain fragile cheeses (Langres, for instance) won't take very kindly to shrink wrapping. If they can get a label with the manufacturer's address, that will serve as provenance if anyone asks. Most cheese shops (particularly in touristy areas) are equipped for shrink wrapping. Ask the cheesemaker: Pouvez-vous mettre mon fromage en sous-vide, s'il vous plaît?
“Eat all those delicate, high-moisture, fragile cheeses while you are on your trip, and bring home the firmer cheeses with more of a rind. Go for cheeses that you can't get at home, cheeses like Salers Tradition, which is like a savory Cheddar but with high acidity and all sorts of complex and rustic flavors. Buying a whole cheese is better than a cut wedge. The rind on a whole St. Nectaire or Reblochon will help keep the cheese intact on the journey. Be sure to take the cheese out of the plastic wrap as soon as you get home. It's okay to ask the cheesemonger for extra cheese paper to re-wrap the cheese at home. They'll appreciate the care you'll be taking of their beloved cheese.”
Alas, Salers will be in short supply in a few months. As you may have read, drought in France has forced Salers cheesemakers to cease production because the pasture is in such poor shape. But almost any French cheese counter should have a raw-milk St. Nectaire or Reblochon, both unavailable in the U.S.