I learned a lot of things when I was studying French in Paris. But to learn the history of the infamous Laughing Cow cheese was an unexpected treat, like the time I had a shmear of it on a baguette in Laos.
But did you know how this brand came about?
This lil laughing cow was born in 1921. It began a man named Jules Bel (Babybel ring a bell?), a cheesy businessman from the Jura region. After his death, his sons Henri and Leon took over the business.
During the First World War, Léon was on a train carrying supplies for French troops.
On the side of the train was an image of a laughing cow painted by famed artist Benjamin Rabier with the words “Wachkyrie”. It was said to a tongue-in-cheek version of the Germans’ trains that had images of the Walkyrie Norse mythical figures on them.
Now here’s the thing - in French, ‘Wach-ky-rie’ sounds an awful lot like ‘Vache qui rit’. So when Léon Bel wanted to market a new brand of soft cheese that’s easy to transport and preserve while still tasting pretty good.
He commissioned Rabier to create a similar image of the laughing cow for his brand, and ‘La Vache qui rit’ was born.
Today, the cheese is still beloved all over the world. (Incidentally, I really did have a baguette with Laughing Cow at a little roadside stall in Laos several years ago!)
Watch a cute commercial for La vache qui rit - Le casting (1986, France)
Source article (in French): La Patrimoine de La Vache qui rit
More history (in English) of the Bel Group which makes Laughing Cow