The Bel Group also owns a museum dedicated to the history of the famous cow located in Lons-le-Saunier in the Jura.Īs for the burning question, “Is it really cheese?”, well, technically yes – and a good bit more so than most processed cheeses. In addition to its many production facilities and subsidiaries worldwide, the company also markets many other popular brands including Boursin and Babybel cheeses. La Vache Qui Rit and its many variations are available in over 100 countries on five continents, making it one of the most successful cheese brands in history. Today Léon Bel’s modest enterprise has grown into the international dairy conglomerate the Bel Group. The overwhelming success experienced in France paved the way for expansion into the UK in 1926, and by the mid-1970s, a factory opened in the USA. Bel promptly registered the name and began producing his cheese, with the patented foil wrapper making its debut in 1924. In a twist of phonetic poetic licence “Wachkyrie” became “La Vache Qui Rit” for comedic purposes. This was intended as a lampoon of the Germans’ supply trucks decorated with the Valkyries – female figures in Norse mythology who decide the fate of those who live or die in battle. That distinction belongs to cartoonist Benjamin Rabier, who served alongside him in the military during World War One. Rabier had depicted a laughing cow on the side of the troop’s transport trucks, accompanied by the word “Wachkyrie”. And although he was responsible for the cheese, he cannot take credit for the name. It is the clever creation of Léon Bel, whom I doubt could have envisioned its current level of commercial success from its humble beginnings in the Franche-Comté region in 1921. And let’s just say that you’re in for a surprise.īut first a brief history of our jovial bovine friend, and quite an interesting history it is too.Ī pioneer in the processed cheese category, La Vache Qui Rit was also the first trademarked French cheese. Repeat as needed.Ĭheese-savvy adults and aficionados of fromages fermiers, on the other hand, might offer a different perspective, declaring that it’s “not even really cheese!”. Pull, twist, and off comes the wrapper, revealing a perfect pop-in-your-mouth portion of creamy, cheesy goodness.
Children adore it, and rightfully so.Īfter all, from a child’s perspective what cheese could possibly compare? Shiny little foil-wrapped triangles – each with a convenient bright red pull tab for ease of opening – all snugly tucked into their cardboard box and adorned with an image of a grinning cow sporting a cute white nose and decorative earrings. La Vache Qui Rit… Or, as it is known in the UK and across the pond, The Laughing Cow. It’s smiles all round for The Laughing Cow with a very interesting history indeed
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