The Laughing Cow

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La Vache qui Rit (The Laughing Cow)

Country of origin	France (produced worldwide)
Region, town	Jura
Source of milk	Cows
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	semi-soft
Aging time	made from aged cheeses, but not aged itself
Certification	trademarked brand name

The Laughing Cow is a brand of processed cheese products owned by Groupe Bel. Originally launched in France as La vache qui rit in 1921, the brand is now sold in more than 90 countries. According to the Groupe Bel web site, 125 portions of the cheese are eaten every second around the world.

1 The product
2 Evolution of the brand
3 Worldwide popularity
4 Other associations
5 References
6 External links

[edit] The product

The cheese is a blend of cream, milk and fresh and aged cheeses, particularly comté, which are pasteurized to stop the ripening process. Versatile and portable because of its pasteurization process, Laughing Cow does not have to be refrigerated^{[citation needed]}. The archetypal Laughing Cow cheese comes wrapped in the individual serving-sized foiled wedges, and they are packaged in a round, flat box. Consumers have to pull a little red thread around the box to open it, and the foil packaging also features an easy-opening red tab. In various worldwide markets, it is served as squares, rectangles, slices, bite-sized cubes and in spreadable tubs. Because it is a smooth, sweet, buttery cheese, it is favored by children and eaten usually in France as a part of picnic.

Laughing Cow is available in its original flavor, a light version with only 7% fat, and an ultra-light version with just 3% fat (not available in the USA). In addition, flavored versions of the cheese (such as ham, gruyère, garlic, paprika, mushroom, chèvre, bleu, hazelnut, pizza and onion) are also available in various markets worldwide.

They also market snack cheeses wrapped in wax under the name Babybel.

[edit] Evolution of the brand

The laughing cow is red and jovial, and is almost always depicted wearing earrings that look like the round boxes the cheese comes in. On April 16, 1921, Léon Bel trademarked his brand, called "La Vache qui rit," in France. In the trademark, the cow is said to have a hilarious expression. Bel had made the original drawing himself, after having seen a traveling meat wagon during World War I called "La Wachkyrie," a play on the word for Valkyrie. In the beginning she wasn't laughing, she wasn't red and she didn't wear earrings. This patent was the very first branded cheese product registered in France. In 1924, Benjamin Rabier, a famous illustrator, edited the drawing into more of the image that prevails today. The blue and white stripes around the box date from 1955. In 1976 both boxes in the ears are shown with the top-side visible. Before that year consumers were shown a top and bottom side.

[edit] Worldwide popularity

The Laughing Cow (CowParade Prague 2004)

The cheese has been a constant, but hardly popular product in the United States for a number of years. However, demand for the triangular wedges has skyrocketed recently, since the light version of the product was suggested as a viable menu item to followers of the South Beach Diet. Laughing Cow Cheese is known colloquially as "Moo-Moo Cheese" and as "Ha-Ha, Moo-Moo" around the United States, especially in New England states. Also the Cheese Cubes (PartyCubes, Belcube, Cheese&Fun, Apéricube) on which "The Laughing Cow" is seen are very popular.

The cheese is quite popular in the Middle East. Because no animal rennet or pepsin is used it is considered halaal by Muslim standards. Groupe Bel announced on October 2, 2005 that they plan to open a 13 million euro factory in Syria. This was the first such direct investment in that nation by a French food company.^[1]

The product is localized by name nearly everywhere it's sold. Depending on where one is, it can be known as:

The Laughing Cow in English-speaking countries
Die lachende Kuh in German-speaking countries
البقرة الضاحكة (Al-Baqara Al-Dahika) in Arabic-speaking countries
Veselá kráva in the Czech Republic
Krówka Śmieszka in Poland
La vaca que ríe in Spanish-speaking countries
A vaca que ri in Brazil and Portugal
Con bò cười in Vietnam
Весёлая Бурёнка (Vessiolaia Bourionka) in Russia
Den Skrattande Kon in Sweden
Den leende ko in Denmark
La Vache Qui rit in the Netherlands
Η Αγελάδα που Γελά (I Agelada pou Yela) in Greece and Cyprus
Lavaş Kiri in Turkey
La Vache Qui Rit in Canada (due to the fact that Canada is bilingual)

among other names.

[edit] Other associations

Le Vache qui Rit is the name of a 1982 EP by UK Anarchist Punk band Zounds.

"La Vache qui Rit" is the name of an EP by late 80's Washington DC punk band Rain with connection to Dischord Records.

La vache qui lit ("The reading cow") is the children's book prize of the city of Zürich.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is often jokingly compared to La Vache qui Rit because of his supposed resemblance to the cheese's logo. ^[2]

"La Vache Qui Rit" is the name of a finishing move in the video game Primal Rage. The character Vertigo will move up to an opponent and transform them into a cow, which makes a disconcerted "moo" as it runs away.