Camembert Cheese
Camembert is a cows milk cheese from Normandy, France. It has earthy and sweet notes — caramelized butter and foraged mushrooms — with a round aftertaste. It’s somewhat tangy with a soft and pleasant finish.
The cheese from Normandy is traditionally unpasteurized. In fact, the AOC variety Camembert de Normandie is required by law to be made with unpasteurized milk. Camembert de Normandie was granted AOC in 1983 and PDO in 1992. However, modern cheese-makers outside of Normandy use pasteurized milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations, and or convenience. However, “camembert” has come to describe any mild and soft bloomy rind cheese regardless of where it is produced.
History of the Cheese
Camembert was thought to have been first produced by Marie Harel, a farmer in Normandy, in 1791. The story goes she hid Abbot Charles-Jean Bonvoust, a refractory priest, on her farm during The French Revolution. He had taught her how to make cheese from the Pays d’Auge region, and she perfected the recipe. She passed her secrets onto her daughter. It’s said her daughter’s husband presented one of her cheeses to Napoleon III, and he gave it his royal seal of approval.
During the First World War, Camembert was part of the wartime ration of French soldiers. The Normandy cheese dairies prospered during this time as Camembert became a symbol of the nation.
How It’s Made
Warm cow’s milk is inoculated with mesophilic bacteria. Rennet is then added and the mixture is allowed to coagulate before the curd is cut into 1/2” cubes, salted, and transferred to cylindrical Camembert molds. The molds are turned every six to twelve hours to allow the whey to drain evenly. After 48 hours, the cheese is a flat cylindrical and solid cheese weighing 250 grams (9 ounces), but at this point it’s hard, crumbly, and bland.
The cheese is then sprayed with Penicillium camemberti and left to ripen for a minimum of three weeks.
To Serve
Bring out the Camembert to room temperature for 30-45 minutes to allow the cheese to soften and the flavors and aromas to enhance. Pair Camembert with fruit preserves and honey, pickled vegetables, roasted mushrooms, charcuterie, baguette and crackers. It’s also lovely when baked. Don’t be scared of eating the bloomy rind! The rind is edible and creates a contrast in texture between the shell and the creaminess of the cheese. It also adds an earthy, mushroom-like flavor to the cheese.
Wine: Dry bubbles like Champagne. White wines like Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium-bodied reds like Pinot Noir and Beaujolais.
Beer and Cider: Normandy is too cold for wine production so ciders and beer are made. Try Saisons, sours, or Norman-style cider.