When I walk through the door at Goumanyat et son Royaume, I'm greeted by a cascade of bells and then the trickle of an indoor waterfall. It's a brief moment of calm before the sensory overload begins. I'm in the best spice shop in Paris, and my eyes and nose are going to be working overtime.

All photos: Mu Foo 

I begin to scan the shelves and am soon approached by a friendly, soft-spoken man. This is Jean Marie Thiercelin, sixth generation owner, whose family has been trading in since 1809. He gives me a lengthy lesson about the history of saffron, complete with old photos of his grandparents, and then offers to take me to the bar. "Le Sniff Bar," that is.

Le Sniff Bar consists of more than twenty glass containers. Their contents range from the highest quality clove and star anise – two ingredients for which the shop is known – to specialties that Jean Marie creates himself. A blend like poivre de dames – a mix of pepper and Iranian rose petals – might be crafted especially for a local chef. Top restaurants across the city source their spices from la Maison Thiercelin, and Jean Marie counts chefs like Pierre Gagnaire among his clients and friends. He lifts the lid on jar after jar, and I'm intoxicated from the heady mix of stories and smells.

Jean Marie then invites me to explore the Chinese apothecary chests that house hundreds of powder-filled drawers. "The chests make sense," he explains. “Spice merchants were the original druggists.” He then excuses himself to greet some other clients in perfect English. There is plenty to keep me occupied, and I begin to fill a basket with delicacies. Low prices make it easy to experiment (saffron vinegar, smoked salt…) without breaking the bank.

Beyond spices, Goumanyat also sells books, high-quality knives, and cookware like Le Creuset. Not exactly easy to carry home in a suitcase, but nonetheless fun to drool over.

Down in the basement there's a carefully-stocked wine cellar and a demonstration kitchen. Cooking classes are taught here on Saturday afternoons. They cost 89€ for a three-hour session, and the theme changes every month. Sign up in November, for example, and you'll learn how to put on a twelve-course holiday meal. December on the other hand, is for serious foie gras gluttons. The fun part about these classes, explains Jean Marie, is that you can just run upstairs to the shop if you need a pinch of oregano.

When I finally leave Goumanyat, I'm shocked to discover that the afternoon is nearly over. The cure for my sensory overload is waiting across the street at Café Crème, where locals are gathering for the apéro. I sit among them and am joined by a friend for a pre-dinner drink. Sipping glasses of pastis, we turn the pages of Saffron: the Gold of Cuisine, Jean Marie’s book, and begin to dream about what we can cook.

GOUMANYAT ET SON ROYAUME, 3 rue Charles-François Dupuis, 75003.

CAFÉ CRÈME; 4 rue Dupetit-Thouars, 75003.

Call us cheesy, but momondo has gone crazy for coagulated milk. We've given our writers the mission of uncovering 'le meilleur fromage' in Paris, 'il migliore formaggio' in Rome, the stinkiest cheeses in New York and the hands-down best cheeses in London, Madrid and Brussels. So grab yourself some bread and wine and join us on this tour of the best cheese shops in Europe.

Rome 

Volpetti has been serving the working-class quarter of Testaccio since 1973. Over time, the deli has evolved into a foodie destination, a place to sample and buy some of the best products in Rome.

Volpetti’s employees are well-practiced in catering to the fantasies of food pilgrims. They were eyeing me from the moment I walked in – another foreign girl wearing a gluttonous grin.  I was taken by the elbow and shown a starter cheese, an accessible pecorino. “That’s nice,” I said while nibbling on a wedge. “Now what else can I taste?”

My particular guide, after sizing me up, returned with a cheese and a conspiratorial wink. “Try this,” he said, pushing a slice toward me across the cold marble counter. “It’s very good,” I conceded, and he began slicing white fig and pouring some sweet white wine. “Together,” he nodded, and I married the tastes before melting into the floor.

What happened thereafter is a bit of a blur. There were many more cheeses, a number of sausages, vinegars and oils. I was moving around in a euphoric daze, tasting everything, shouting “si!”

I approached the cash register with some hesitation while my purchases were being wrapped. Just how much would all this cost, I wondered, catching sight of a frightening sticker. With the Bagoss di Bagolino priced at 90€ per kilo, I was glad to have asked for a very small slice.

"Your total is 114€, Signora. And our credit card machine is broken.”

After emptying my wallet and also that of my friend, we left completely broke and with thoughts of a conciliatory cheese party back in Paris. Another smiling young woman was entering Volpetti as we were going out. “Good luck,” I told her. “You’ll need it.”

Volpetti Deli Shop, Via Marmorata 47, Rome
 

Call us cheesy, but momondo has gone crazy for coagulated milk. We've given our writers the mission of uncovering 'le meilleur fromage' in Paris, 'il migliore formaggio' in Rome,the stinkiest cheeses in New York and the hands-down best cheeses in London, Madrid and Brussels. So grab yourself some bread and wine and join us on this tour of the best cheese shops in Europe. 

Paris 

As a cheese-crazy city resident, I am often asked my opinion about “the Best Cheese Shop in Paris.” There are two ways to respond to this Important Question.

The first, a more complicated answer, is to say “whichever one is near your apartment.” In every Paris neighborhood, no matter how homely, there is a market street with independent shops selling fresh produce, meat, seafood, and wine. There is also, inevitably, a fromager. The quality of these neighborhood cheese shops can vary, ranging from simple sellers to artisans who play the dual role of fromager-affineur. This latter group takes a much more hands-on approach, buying their cheeses young and maturing them on-site in special aging rooms.

Photo: Paris Tourist Office/Amélie Dupont

Developing a relationship with your local fromager is a complicated but rewarding affair. I first started cultivating my cheese lady when I moved into the neighborhood four years ago. I began by showing up regularly, asking questions, and of course buying a lot of cheese. I learned the routine and (after a few gaffes) how to respond to her questions. For example, when she rested her knife on a large wedge of Comté and looked up with big eyes, she was asking about the size of my slice. When she said “c’est pour quand?” (it’s for when?) she was trying to select the perfect level of ooziness.

After several months of “practice” she began to counsel me about what was in season and what I should drink with my selections. In time, she learned to interpret me, too – to understand that there were days when I wanted to learn everything under the sun about a particular Beaufort, and others when I just wanted her to quickly choose something for an impromptu picnic at the Bassin.

My local fromager isn’t anything out of the ordinary - there's no reason to cross town for a visit. But this place is my school as I continue to discover the 400+ cheeses of France, and that make it le meilleur to me. The shop down the street from your apartment or hotel could also turn out to be "the best" if you turn on the charm and win the favor of your fromager.

The second and simpler response to the Best-Of question is “Barthélémy.”

Photo: tbonejuju

Cheese geeks will argue between this and Quatrehomme, but any Top Five list will include this shoebox-sized shop in the 7th arrondissement. The number of the choices is slightly overwhelming in this space where every available inch is used to display more than 200 selections from the man who wrote the book, literally, on French cheeses. Raw milk Camembert is the big draw at Barthélémy, but I also love their little buttons of chèvre (goat cheese) rolled in different spices, as well as the Vacherin that appears only in winter. 

In nice weather, I like to pick up a few cheeses and head over to the nearby Esplanade des Invalides, a perfect picnic lawn with views of the gold dome and the Eiffel Tower. The quality of product and posh setting mean that the prices at Barthélémy are nearly double what I pay locally, but some summer nights require a little extravagance.

Fromagerie Barthélémy, 51 rue de Grenelle, 75007