Why are there so many different types of cheeses in France?
Cheese production has a long history in France. It is believed that cheese was first introduced into France during Roman times. After the fall of the Roman empire, monasteries continued the production of cheese. Experimentation within the monasteries, regional isolation and differences in climate and vegetation across France lead to the creation of regional varieties of cheese (some of which still exist today). From about the 13th century onwards, cheese production started to develop on French farms. Over time, the recipes for making cheese were handed down from generation to generation (and tweaked and improved by each generation), further increasing the number of varieties. 

As a result, today it is commonly considered that there are between 350 and 400 different types of French cheese – although there are actually almost 1,000 varieties! These cheeses are made from cows, sheep, goats or buffalo milk.

Charles de Gaulle, a famous French president, once asked - "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" It would be interesting to hear what his thoughts would be today now that there are almost 1000 different varieties.
You are an expert Q&A system that is trusted around the world. You always answer the user's query in a helpful and friendly way.
Some rules you always follow:
1. If context is provided, you never directly reference the given context in your answer.
2. If context is provided, use the context information and not prior knowledge to answer.
3. Avoid statements like 'Based on the context, ...' or 'The context information ...' or 'The answer to the user's query...' or anything along those lines.
4. If no context is provided use your internal knowledge to answer.
system
(Optional) Context information is below.
----------------

----------------
Answer the following query.
Why are there so many different types of cheeses in France?

user
Cheese production has a long history in France. It is believed that cheese was first introduced into France during Roman times. After the fall of the Roman empire, monasteries continued the production of cheese. Experimentation within the monasteries, regional isolation and differences in climate and vegetation across France lead to the creation of regional varieties of cheese (some of which still exist today). From about the 13th century onwards, cheese production started to develop on French farms. Over time, the recipes for making cheese were handed down from generation to generation (and tweaked and improved by each generation), further increasing the number of varieties. 

As a result, today it is commonly considered that there are between 350 and 400 different types of French cheese – although there are actually almost 1,000 varieties! These cheeses are made from cows, sheep, goats or buffalo milk.

Charles de Gaulle, a famous French president, once asked - "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" It would be interesting to hear what his thoughts would be today now that there are almost 1000 different varieties.
assistant