Fourme d'Ambert — Cups to Grams

1 cup crumbled = 115g — sliced = 125g

Variant
Result
115grams

1 cup Fourme d'Ambert = 115 grams

Tablespoons16
Teaspoons47.9
Ounces4.06

Quick Conversion Table — Fourme d'Ambert

CupsGramsTablespoonsTeaspoons
¼28.8 g4 tbsp12 tsp
⅓38.3 g5.32 tbsp16 tsp
½57.5 g7.99 tbsp24 tsp
⅔76.7 g10.7 tbsp32 tsp
¾86.3 g12 tbsp36 tsp
1115 g16 tbsp47.9 tsp
1½172.5 g24 tbsp71.9 tsp
2230 g31.9 tbsp95.8 tsp
3345 g47.9 tbsp143.8 tsp
4460 g63.9 tbsp191.7 tsp

Measuring Fourme d'Ambert: Crumbled and Sliced

Fourme d'Ambert is softer and creamier than most blue cheeses, which affects how it crumbles and packs. A very fresh, cold Fourme d'Ambert crumbles into slightly larger, more irregular pieces than aged Stilton or Roquefort; at room temperature, it barely crumbles at all and must be scooped or sliced instead.

Crumbled (115g/cup): Crumble the cheese cold (straight from the refrigerator) for best results. The pieces should be irregular, 0.5–1 cm. Over-crumbling into fine dust wastes the creamy texture. Use for salad toppings, pizza, tarts, and anywhere the cheese adds texture as well as flavor. A 200g wedge crumbled = approximately 1.75 cups.

Sliced (125g/cup): Thin horizontal slices (5mm) from the cylindrical wheel are the standard serving format for cheese boards. The flat discs overlap in a measuring cup and pack moderately. One 1.9 kg wheel yields approximately 19–20 slices at 1 cm thickness, each slice approximately 100g.

MeasureCrumbled (g)Sliced (g)
1 tablespoon7.2g7.8g
¼ cup29g31g
½ cup57.5g62.5g
1 cup115g125g
200g wedge~1.75 cups crumbled~1.6 cups sliced

Ancient Origins: From Roman Gaul to PDO Protection

The evidence for Fourme d'Ambert's antiquity is unusually concrete for a French cheese. A Roman-era bas-relief stone carving found near the village of Ambert in the Livradois-Forez hills depicts three figures handling what appears to be a tall cylindrical cheese in the distinctive format of Fourme d'Ambert. Archaeologists date the carving to approximately the 2nd or 3rd century AD. While the depicted cheese cannot be definitively identified as blue-veined, the shape correspondence is striking.

Medieval documentation is clearer: 9th and 10th century land records from the region record fourme (a tall cylindrical cheese) as a common form of payment for land use rights (agezage rights — summer grazing rights on communal high pastures). Farmers paid their land dues in fourmes, reflecting both the value and the established production of the cheese.

AOC status was granted in 1972, and European PDO protection followed. The production zone covers the Puy-de-Dome department and parts of Cantal and Haute-Loire. The AOC/PDO regulations require minimum 28 days of aging, production from whole cow milk, and the characteristic cylindrical format (13 cm diameter, 17–21 cm height, 1.9 kg weight).

Fourme de Montbrison: Fourme d'Ambert has a close sibling — Fourme de Montbrison (also PDO) — produced in the adjacent Forez mountains of the Loire department. Both were classified under a single AOC until 2002, when they were separated into two distinct PDOs. Fourme de Montbrison has a slightly smoother, drier paste; Fourme d'Ambert is creamier with more pronounced blue veining.

Flavor Profile and Cheese Board Presentation

Fourme d'Ambert is deliberately positioned as the approachable face of French blue cheese — its PDO producers have long marketed it as a gateway blue for those who find Roquefort too sharp or Bleu d'Auvergne too salty. The flavor profile: mild initial creaminess, gentle sweet-milky character, moderate blue-vein tanginess (much less than Roquefort), clean finish with a slight hazelnut note. The paste is ivory-white with irregular blue-green veins that are distributed throughout but less intense than Stilton or Roquefort. The gray-brown rind is dry and mold-covered (not washed-rind).

Cheese board for 6 (featuring Fourme d'Ambert): 250–300g Fourme d'Ambert (approximately 2.2–2.6 cups crumbled, or sliced rounds from the wheel) + 100g honeycomb or chestnut honey + 2 ripe pears (Williams or Bosc) + 50g candied walnuts + dried apricots + thin slices of pain d'epices (Dijon spiced bread) + baguette. Accompany with 20-year Tawny port in small glasses (50ml per person) or a glass of Sauternes.

Service temperature: Remove from refrigerator 45 minutes before serving. At 16–18 degrees Celsius, the paste softens to a lush, spreadable consistency and the aroma fully opens. Cold Fourme d'Ambert is noticeably less aromatic and more crumbly.

Cooking with Fourme d'Ambert

The high fat content and mild flavor of Fourme d'Ambert make it one of the easiest blues to incorporate into cooked dishes — it melts smoothly, does not contribute excessive salt, and complements rather than dominates surrounding flavors.

Pear and Fourme d'Ambert tart (4 servings): 23 cm shortcrust pastry shell, blind-baked. Filling: 3 eggs + 150ml cream + 80g crumbled Fourme d'Ambert (approximately 0.7 cup) + black pepper. Arrange 2 ripe pears (peeled, cored, thinly sliced) in the pastry shell. Pour cream-egg-cheese mixture over. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 30–35 minutes until set and lightly golden. The Fourme d'Ambert melts into the custard, providing blue-cheese creaminess without visible veins in the finished tart.

Substitute in any Stilton recipe: Replace Bleu d'Auvergne with Fourme d'Ambert 1:1 by weight for a milder, creamier result. Use Fourme d'Ambert in a Stilton-and-walnut pasta sauce (60g crumbled Fourme d'Ambert + 150ml cream + 30g walnuts per 2 servings) as a gentler alternative.