You pronounce it the way you'd pronounce the cheese La Vache Qui Rit (lah-vash-kee-REE), which sounds like Richard Wagner's 'Walkyrie', so prized by the Germans. Rabier obliged, creating a smiling cow, which someone irreverently dubbed La Wachkyrie – it's a play on words in French. One day, the head of RVF B70 wrote to Benjamin Rabier, a well-known animal illustrator, to ask him to design an insignia that would stand out from the others. Some of the drawings were more caricature than insignia. With so many vehicles crisscrossing the roads of France, something was needed to tell them apart, so soldiers began drawing on them to identify those belonging to different units. His job was to get meat to the front and his unit was known as RVF (Ravitaillement Viande Fraîche, or fresh meat supply vehicle) B70. When World War I erupted, Léon ferried food to soldiers on fleets of buses and trucks and taxis requisitioned for transport. But Henri did not take to entrepreneurship, and Léon took over. His sons, Henri and Léon, moved the cheese workshop to larger premises in the 'city', Lons-le-Saunier, to be near the railway lines and the local saltworks. Jules Bel then sold his products through a local cooperative. Once upon a time in the Burgundian village of Orgelet, in the foothills of the Jura Mountains, a young cheese refiner spent his days turning wheels of cheese.

The story begins in a little village in the Jura Mountains That modest triangle is now part of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, the Bel Group, but like many global French brands, its origins are exceedingly humble. Accompanying it would usually be one-eighth of a baguette, along with something fruity. you get the picture.Įach time I open a box (yes, I still do) I almost feel like that child again, guarding my cheese from other children in the 'récré' courtyard who may be eyeing my little treasure. Who doesn't know the little round box with its red laughing cow logo, wearing earrings shaped like a box with a laughing red cow, wearing earrings. That's nearly four billion portions a year, or 125 per second. If you're French, that portion is probably La Vache Qui Rit, or Laughing Cow cheese triangles in French (sometimes known as 'smiling cow cheese').Įven if you're NOT French, actually, because here's the secret: this tiny triangle is one of the most consumed cheeses in the world (THE most consumed, in some countries!), one of the many unusual or weird foods of France. Its 98% milk content makes Mini Babybel® a nourishing product, notable for its supply of protein and calcium.1926 advertising poster by Benjamin Rabier, the illustrator who designed the original laughing cow Naturally rich in calcium, Mini Babybel® is a nutritional asset as well as a simple pleasure to eat. Above all Practical, it is the perfect partner at any gourmet snack or meal break. Its conviviality and practicality make it the ideal guest at any party. when the wax shell is unzipped to reveal the cheese in all of its appetizing plumpness! Pleasure and nutrition: The delight that Babybel® affords starts as soon as it's opened. Resolutely new, it stands out by virtue of its instantly recognisable red wax shell, and spreads good humour and fun everywhere it goes. Babybel®, which was developed to initiate a new way of eating cheese, has been universally popular since 1952, it can be enjoyed everywhere by everybody. Wherever it goes, fun follows.Every year, over a billion Mini Babybels are unzipped and eaten. That's Mini Babybel®, a global cheese phenomenon. Natural cheese goodness, in a distinctive waxy jacket. Reflecting different languages and cultures, La Vache Qui Rit® has a different name in each country: The Laughing Cow® in United-States and UK, La vaca que rié® in Spain, A vaca que ri® in Portugal, Con bo cuoi® in Vietnam etc.Īnd today, she still has plenty of surprises in store, especially on the Internet : the French website is run by a community of fans who are forever asking why La Vache Qui Rit® actually laughs. More than 20 million portions are sold each day across the world ie around 240 portions per second. Originating in France, La Vache Qui Rit® is a truly international cheese, eaten in more than 136 countries on five continents, from North Africa to the USA, from England to Japan, from Africa to Australia. Totally new to France when first launched in 1921, La Vache Qui Rit® introduced a whole new way of eating cheese, thanks to an original recipe combining a unique flavour and a creamy, melting texture. The cheese is also a natural source of calcium, which is good news for teeth and bones. It is convenient and fun, with a superbly smooth, creamy taste. La Vache Qui Rit® is one of the world's best loved cheese brands.

La vache quiri