Could Camembert and Brie disappear? Scientists warn that France’s rich culinary heritage is at risk.
By Poppy Pearce
The very microbes that give some French cheeses their unmistakable flavours and textures are under threat, potentially jeopardising not only France’s food culture but also its economy.
Microbes: the unsung heroes of French cheese
At the heart of traditional cheese-making lies an ecosystem of bacteria and fungi, crucial in shaping everything from Brie’s creamy texture to Camembert’s pungent aroma. However, a recent warning from France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) suggests that the genetic diversity of these microbes is shrinking at an alarming rate.
In particular, strains of Penicillium camemberti—the fungus responsible for that distinctive white rind—are now worryingly uniform, making them more vulnerable to disease and environmental changes. Similarly, Penicillium roqueforti, used in blue cheeses like Roquefort, is facing a decline in genetic variation.
Jeanne Ropars, a researcher at the Ecology, Systematics and Evolution laboratory in Gif-sur-Yvette, said: “To date, only four populations of the fungus species P. roqueforti have been known in the world.” (CNRS The Newspaper)
Such a lack of diversity increases the risk of these essential fungi being wiped out by new pathogens or shifts in climate
The loss of Brie and Camembert would be more than just a gastronomic tragedy—it would be a financial disaster. France exported nearly €3.8 billion worth of cheese in 2022, with Camembert and Brie among the biggest contributors. From Michelin-starred restaurants to the humble boulangerie, these cheeses are fundamental to French cuisine.
For many visitors, tasting authentic Brie in a Parisian café or slicing into a gooey Camembert during a countryside picnic is a rite of passage. Cheese tourism is a major industry, drawing food lovers from around the world. Imagine a future where a French picnic lacks its signature cheese—or worse, where a baguette has lost its best friend.
Can science save French cheese?
The good news? Researchers are now racing to protect these microbes before it’s too late. Some scientists are exploring ways to reintroduce genetic diversity into the fungi populations through selective breeding or by searching for lost strains in traditional farmsteads. Others suggest that small-scale producers, who still use raw milk and traditional methods, may hold the key to preserving these vital organisms.
Protecting French cheese isn’t just a job for scientists. Consumers can also play a role by supporting artisanal producers who prioritise microbial diversity over mass production. Opting for traditional, raw-milk cheeses rather than industrially mass-produced versions could help sustain the biodiversity that has made French cheese world-famous.
The future of Brie and Camembert isn’t set in stone. But one thing is certain: if we want to keep enjoying the world’s best cheese, it’s time to act. Because a world without fromage? Is that really a world worth living in?!
Étoile takes a while to find its groove—but when it does, it soars
If you experienced a bit of TV déjà vu when you heard about Étoile, Prime Video’s new ballet dramedy from the creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls, you’d be forgiven. Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband-partner Daniel Palladino already dipped a pointed toe into the world of tutus and turnouts with their 2012 series Bunheads, which starred theater favorite Sutton Foster and Gilmore great Kelly Bishop and ran on ABC Family for one season.
It certainly looks like the Palladinos haven’t shaken their preoccupation with pliés and pirouettes. (Sherman-Palladino started training in classical ballet when she was just four.) Étoilen (French for “star”) follows the professional dancers and artistic staff of two of the world’s most storied ballet companies (one in New York, the other in Paris). With both institutions struggling to fill theater seats in a post-pandemic and tech-possessed society (“Our dancers have abandoned toe shoes for TikToks,” one character bemoans in an early episode), they’ll need a miracle to get the public caring again about the endangered, and admittedly stuffy, art form.
Or, apparently, they just need a savvy marketing move. Geneviève Lavigne—the interim general director of l’Opera Francais and Le Ballet National, played by the ever-chic French actor/musician Charlotte Gainsbourg—proposes they drum up much-needed attention by having her Parisian dance company swap some of its top talent with that of New York City’s Metropolitan Ballet Theater, which is helmed by executive director and Geneviève’s sometimes paramour Jack McMillan (Maisel star Luke Kirby).
Given that the series is populated entirely by neurotic New Yorkers and fussy French folks, it’s no surprise that the single-year swap does not go over well with either company’s main players, especially when word hits that Jack wants to snatch up France’s superstar principal dancer Cheyenne Toussaint (Lou de Laâge). All that melodrama isn’t completely warranted, TBH; in real life, swapping ballet dancers isn’t an entirely uncommon practice among the discipline’s most elite establishments.
But this is a Palladino property, which means everything is heightened. The dialogue is, as always, quicker than a chaîné turn; the takes are long and lush (with all eight episodes directed by the Emmy-winning duo, whose love of the master shot emphatically endures); and the settings and costuming are unsurprisingly sumptuous, especially in Paris. That’s no disrespect to Lincoln Center’s lovely campus; it’s just that France has had a couple extra thousand years to get all ornate and magnifique. (By the way, Geneviève may meta-mock that “This isn’t Emily In Paris, Jack—you can’t see the Eiffel Tower from everywhere,” but rest assured that all of the picturesque landmarks from that Netflix series are accounted for here as well.)
And disciples of the Gilmore gospel will be charmed by the familiar Stars Hollow faces that frequently drop into rotation: There’s the regal Kelly Bishop as Jack’s moneyed mom, Yanic Truesdale as Geneviève’s right-hand man Raphael, Dakin Matthews as a member of the MBT board, and so on.
The whole transatlantic move is complicated, of course, by interpersonal dynamics. Jack hates who’s funding the campaign, the duplicitous dandy Crispin Shamblee (Simon Callow). Cheyenne refuses to partner with any danseur other than Gael (West Side Story’s David Alvarez), who’s been hiding out on a self-imposed farm “sabbatical.” French-born nepo baby Mishi Duplessis (Taïs Vinolo) struggles with her overbearing stage parents upon her return to the Paris company. And the quirky creative chaos—and, evidently, on-the-spectrum diagnosis—of American choreographer Tobias Bell (Gideon Glick) is lost in translation among the French performers, save for male lead Gabin (Ivan du Pontavice). (‘Shippers, take note.
Using real-deal talents (like the New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck and the Boston Ballet’s John Lam) adds legitimacy to the dramedy’s frequent dance numbers, which are overseen by choreographer Marguerite Derricks. (Each episode lovingly ends with rehearsal footage of actual ballerinas, too.) However, some of the more dance-focused cast members fail to pop against their fellow actors. For example, the supposed heat in the pas de deux between Alvarez’s Gael and De Laâge’s Cheyenne feels barely simmering. Hell, it’s tough for anyone onscreen to match the passion of the French fireball that is Cheyenne: “You feel everything—that’s why you’re such an asshole,” one character shrewdly sums her up. And both Gainsbourg and Kirby are captivating leads but because their characters, like us, are viewers and not doers—lovers of the art form, certainly, but saddled more with navigating the bureaucracy of ballet rather than creating the beauty of it—that means their respective storylines lack the intensity and urgency of their more kinetic company.
Speaking of lack of urgency, the eight episodes do move slowly. With two companies and cities to get acquainted with, it takes a good half season to really get grooving. However, unlike their one-and-done experience with Bunheads, the Palladinos have the benefit of time here—and money, too. Thanks to an overall deal inked with Amazon MGM Studios back in 2019 (boosted by the success of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Étoile was green-lit for two seasons before the curtain could even rise, which means there are plenty more moves to come. Here’s hoping that, story-wise, that adagio speeds up to an allegro in season two.
For a long time, a sector of the Church directed and financed from the US attempted to depose the Vatican leader in order to impose its own identity-based ideology
By Daniel Verdu
On the morning of August 26, 2018, while the Pope was visiting Ireland with the usual entourage of journalists and Vatican staff, the bomb dropped. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former Vatican envoy in Washington between 2011 and 2016 and a heavyweight within the Curia, accused the Pontiff in an 11-page letter of having covered up the abuses of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and demanded his resignation. The violent tone of that letter and the accusations it contained were the culmination of a campaign that had begun a few years earlier within the Holy See to overthrow a Pope they considered too progressive, a heretic even. The attempted schism was directed and financed from the United States, where Donald Trump was spending his first term in the White House and in search of a cultural and ideological narrative capable of flourishing on the Judeo-Christian roots of the Western world. And the Vatican, from that perspective, could not be governed by a Pope who was an environmentalist, tolerant of homosexuality, an anti-capitalist, and, above all, extremely belligerent toward the anti-immigration policies that characterized Trump’s first presidency.
In this 2015 file photo, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., listens to remarks at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual fall meeting in Baltimore.Patrick Semansky (AP)
There have always been tensions and internal struggles in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Unity and avoiding schism were an obsession. But never in contemporary history had a Pope been so violently targeted. And, above all, it was completely unusual for the Pontiff’s enemies to come from the traditionalist sector, supposedly the keeper of the essence of Catholicism. Until then, such battles had been fought only by far-right groups like the Society of St. Pius X, founded by the rebel French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining four priests without Rome’s permission.
The symptoms had been clear for some time. Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s chief advisor before his fall from grace, a sort of Elon Musk avant la lettre, settled into the penthouse of the Hotel De Russie on the luxurious Via del Babuino. From there, he began receiving Italian and European leaders who viewed the Pope unfavorably: from Matteo Salvini to Trump himself. Bannon attempted to open a sort of school of populism on the outskirts of Rome, increasing the pressure through sympathetic media. The American Cardinal Raymond Burke became the political arm of this new movement within the Vatican, and together with other cardinals such as the excellent theologian Gerhard Müller, they began to hatch a plan to expose Francis’s alleged lack of intellectual preparation.
Former archbishop of St. Louis Cardinal Raymond Burke leaves the Clementina Hall during the Christmas greetings of the Roman Curia to Pope Francis on December 21, 2017 in the Vatican.Vatican Pool (Getty Images)
“It began early, in the summer of 2013, when it was already clear that many U.S. bishops didn’t recognize him as one of their own,” notes Massimo Faggioli, a professor in the department of theology and religious sciences at Villanova University in Philadelphia. “American conservatives thought that after John Paul II and Benedict XVI, their destiny was forever marked by neoconservatism. And the Pope didn’t allow it. That was his sin,” he adds.
In the United States, there are approximately 72.3 million baptized people, almost a quarter of the population. But the influence of Catholics has grown in recent years. A third of the members of Congress practice that faith, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Vocations to one of the richest churches in the world have fallen more than anywhere else, and pedophilia scandals, with the now-famous Boston case, wreaked havoc. However, the obsession with the Vatican of the new White House occupants and neoconservative power circles has continued to grow.
One of the impressions that always haunted Bergoglio was that Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013, despite having been a gesture of generosity and humility, had opened a rift in the Church that the conservative sector seized upon to wage its struggle. The fiction that was established was that if there were two men dressed in white strolling through the Vatican gardens, why not close ranks around the more conservative one? Ratzinger, an excellent theologian, though not skilled in personal relationships, never accepted that role. But some oversights and the influence of his personal secretary, Georg Gänswein, who was at odds with Francis, caused some slip-ups.
The height of tension came five years ago with the publication of a book that the Pope Emeritus was supposedly co-authoring with the ultra-conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah, in which he strongly opposed optional celibacy and, above all, the ordination of married men (From the Depths of Our Hearts). This was an issue on which Francis was due to address the synod on the Amazon, and which turned the publication into an act of interference.
Cardinal Robert Sarah in Rome on October 14, 2015.Andrew Medichini (AP)
Francis kept up the fight to the bitter end. On February 10, in fact, he sent a letter to the U.S. bishops (195 dioceses) denouncing the Trump administration’s program of mass deportations. The letter infuriated Tom Homan, known as the border czar. “He has a wall around the Vatican, does he not? I wish he’d stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us,” he replied. “He never let himself be intimidated. He responded all those years with appointments, trips, documents. And the things he didn’t do, like the appointment of female priests, it was because he didn’t believe in it,” Faggioli argues.
The Joe Biden administration provided temporary relief, but the American Church itself was already deeply divided. “These are cultural and social universes that have grown in a different way. It’s a Catholicism that is more based on identity. That’s why we now find ourselves at a critical point with this conclave. There is a neoconservative movement that began in the 1980s. And the Vice President of the United States, J. D. Vance, is one of its exponents. They have a long-term strategy to return to a certain traditionalism that will not end with the conclave, no matter what.” In an ironic twist of fate, perhaps his way of dealing with this struggle, Francis dedicated part of his last day on this Earth to receiving Vance at the Vatican.
More than a third of the wine consumed in the U.S. is imported, mostly from Europe
By Ariel Wesler
LOS ANGELES — At Brentwood Fine Wines, sommelier Ferdinando “Ferdi” Mucerino stocks wines and spirits from all over the world. He says about 60% of his products are imports. Wines from France are currently among his bestsellers, not surprising since Italian and French wines are the most popular in the U.S.
What You Need To Know
All foreign wines now have minimum tariffs of 10% as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to rebalance global trade
Ferdinando “Ferdi” Mucerino at Brentwood Fine Wines worries prices will go up and never come down again, even if the tariffs are lifted at some point
Laura Gabriel, a small winemaker from Sonoma, California predicted that people will “probably drink even less, maybe go out less and just spend their money elsewhere”
Many wine distributors depend on imported wines, and Gabriel said that if they have to pay more, they might buy less or raise prices on American wines to make up for lost profits
But all foreign wines now have minimum tariffs of 10%. It’s part of President Donald Trump’s plan to rebalance global trade.
“What he’s trying to do, in my opinion, is equal that playing field by really charging the same tariffs that we’re charged when our wine goes into those other countries,” said Craig Ledbetter, a wine grape grower from Lodi, California.
While winemakers and sellers are grateful it wasn’t the 200% tariff the president had previously threatened, that’s not off the table just yet, especially if Europe retaliates.
A 200% tariff would essentially triple the cost of European wines in the U.S., and that has some local wine shops concerned not only about their reputation, but how it would affect their customers.
Mucerino worries the industry could see a repeat of what happened during Trump’s first term.
“Prices are going to go up,” he said. “Then, once the tariffs are lifted or changed, prices are going to stay pretty much the same, so it’s a lose-lose for the for the consumer.”
“People are already drinking less, and so I think it’s just going to make people probably drink even less, maybe go out less and just spend their money elsewhere,” said Laura Gabriel, a small winemaker from Sonoma, California.
She started the company Paper Planes with her husband about 10 years ago. She said that even though the tariffs are designed to encourage people to buy American, there isn’t always a suitable substitute.
“You can’t make Champagne in the United States,” Gabriel said. “You can’t make Burgundy or Bordeaux in the United States.”
Many wine distributors depend on imported wines, and Gabriel said that if they have to pay more, they might buy less or raise prices on American wines to make up for lost profits.
“It’s going to affect wine shops,” she said. “It’s going to affect distributors.It’s going to affect a lot of small businesses, but I just don’t think that they can take it financially right now.”
It’s a complex puzzle that is leaving the minds of many in the wine industry swirling.
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin, Tromperie (also known as Deception, 2021) is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking adaptation of Philip Roth’s novel. Featuring Denis Podalydès and Léa Seydoux in the lead roles, the film explores the complex, often ambiguous relationship between a writer and his mistress, seamlessly blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality. With its richly layered dialogue and philosophical tone, Tromperie invites viewers into an exploration of love, memory, and the blurred lines of storytelling.
Set in the 1980s in London, the film follows Philip (Denis Podalydès), a successful American novelist, and his unnamed lover (Léa Seydoux), a married woman who visits him frequently in his writing studio. Their interactions unfold as a series of emotionally charged dialogues—sometimes tender, sometimes confrontational—exploring themes of desire, fidelity, and the power dynamics at play in creative relationships.
As Philip’s bond with his mistress deepens, he also reflects on his past relationships, including those with his wife, former lovers, and even characters from his own literary works. Tromperie delicately weaves the line between reality and fiction, challenging the viewer to question where the truth ends and the imagination begins.
The Nature of Fiction and Reality – The film encourages the audience to grapple with the distinctions between what is real and what Philip conjures in his mind as a writer.
Desire and Betrayal – The emotional undercurrents of love, passion, and infidelity form the crux of the story, reflecting the complexities and contradictions inherent in human relationships.
Exile and Identity – Set against the backdrop of Philip’s life as an American writer living in Europe, the film examines themes of cultural alienation, belonging, and the internal conflicts that shape both his personal and creative identity.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021, Tromperie earned critical acclaim for its sophisticated storytelling and the exceptional performances of its leads. Léa Seydoux delivers a mesmerizing portrayal of emotional depth, while Denis Podalydès embodies the intellectual yet morally complex character of Philip with subtle brilliance.
Unlike conventional narratives driven by action, Tromperie thrives on the power of words, remaining true to Roth’s literary style. Its cerebral approach and philosophical layers make it a captivating watch for those who appreciate dialogue-heavy, thought-provoking cinema. With its blend of romance, intellectual exploration, and literary elegance, Tromperie stands as a remarkable adaptation of one of Roth’s most compelling works, inviting reflection on the nature of love, identity, and the boundaries of storytelling.
Pas De Merde 