Camembert is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northern France.
The first Camembert was made from unpasteurised milk, and the AOC
variety "Camembert de Normandie" is still required by law to be made
only with unpasteurised milk. Many modern cheesemakers, however, use
pasteurized milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations, or
convenience.[1]
The cheese is made by inoculating warmed milk with mesophilic bacteria, then adding rennet
and allowing the mixture to coagulate. The curd is then cut into
roughly 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes, salted, and transferred to Camembert
moulds.[1]
The moulds are turned every six to twelve hours to allow the whey to
drain evenly from the cut curds; after 48 hours, each mould contains a
flat, cylindrical, solid cheese mass weighing approximately 350 grams
(about 12 oz). At this point the fresh cheese is hard, crumbly, and
bland.
The surface of each cheese is then sprayed with an aqueous suspension of the mould Penicillium camemberti
and the cheeses are left to ripen for at least three weeks. The
ripening process produces the distinctive rind and creamy interior
texture characteristic of the cheese.[1] Once the cheeses are sufficiently ripe, they are wrapped in paper and may be placed in wooden boxes for transport.
Brie cheese is a similar soft cheese, also made from cow milk. However, there are differences, as brie originates from the Île de France and camembert from Normandy.
Traditionally, brie was always produced in large wheels and thus
ripened differently. When sold, Brie typically has been cut from a
larger wheel and therefore its side is not covered by the rind. In
contrast, camembert is ripened as a small round cheese fully covered by
rind changing the ratio between rind and inner part of the cheese (this
affects the taste). It thus tends to be sold in thin round wood
containers.
