Originally from Seine-et-Marne in northern France, Brie is cherished for its impressionable character, and even graced the tables of royalty in the Middle Ages.
Brie is the best known French cheese and has the nickname "The Queen of Cheese". Brie is a soft cheese named after the French region Brie, where it was originally created. Several hundred years ago, Brie was one of the tributes which had to be paid to the French kings.
While France boasts hundreds and hundreds of delicious cheeses, it's the creamy Brie cheese that is its top cheese export. Brie was first created in the area of Meaux and Melun, 35 miles east of Paris. Like many cheeses, it was invented by monks as early as the 7th century.
A brief history of French cheese
Whilst Brie and Camembert are both traditional cheeses, they find their roots in different times. Indeed, the recipe for Brie is much older, first appearing in 774, while Camembert is a much more recent creation.
Brie and Camembert are two delicious cheeses that certainly have plenty in common. Both originate from the north of France and are made from cow milk.
A slice of tempered Brie has a soft texture, sometimes slightly runny. Originally from Seine-et-Marne in northern France, Brie is cherished for its impressionable character, and even graced the tables of royalty in the Middle Ages.
Marie Harel created the original Camembert cheese from raw milk in Normandy, France, in 1791.
Similar in texture to Camembert, but with a higher fat content (29g per cent, 18 per cent saturated), Brie is produced from whole or semi-skimmed cow's milk. Although it is high in fat, Brie still has less fat than Cheddar or Stilton. Look out for 'light' versions of brie which will have less fat.
The flavor profiles of Brie and Camembert are quite similar. Both are typically described as tasting earthy, nutty, fruity, grassy, and even mushroomy. The variations in taste are subtle , but Brie is milder with a creamy, buttery taste, while Camembert has a deeper, more earthy and intense flavor and aroma.
So, to answer the question, “Can you eat the rind on Brie?” Yes, it is 100% okay to eat the rind on Brie, and is even recommended. If you enjoy the flavor the rind imparts, eat as much as you like!
The classic French cheese Brie, a staple of any cheese platter or course, is sometimes known as the Paris cheese. The two cities that produce the best and most authentic Brie are Melun and Meaux. Both are located in the Ile de France region, which encompasses Paris and its suburbs.
Baron Bigod is the only traditional Brie-de-Meaux style cheese produced in the UK and one of only a handful of its type in the world to be made by the farmer on the farm.
The mold used to make these cheeses is safe to eat. The firm, white rind forms when the mold blooms and is then patted down. This process happens over and over until the Brie is ready. Not only is the rind on Brie safe to eat but it may even keep out harmful organisms that could contaminate the cheese.
Brie (/briː/; French: [bʁi]) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern département of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mould.
Flavor: Camembert has a stronger flavor than brie. During the cheesemaking process for camembert, makers add a lactic starter five times. For brie, makers add a lactic starter at the beginning of the cheesemaking process, resulting in a mild flavor. Milk fat: Brie has a higher fat content than camembert.
Brie is a French soft, raw milk cheese with a flowered rind.
Camembert cheese is another French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk. A soft cheese, it is quite similar to brie in its taste and texture, and even its looks.
Yes, you can eat the rind of Camembert, Brie, or any soft-ripened cheese. The white mold is Penicillium camemberti (a.k.a. P. candidum), which gives these cheeses their characteristic bloomy rind. The rind is totally edible and adds texture and flavor to the cheese.
Regarding flavor, goat cheese has a stronger flavor than brie cheese. It has a mild yet sharp earthy flavor that grows stronger as it ripens. In recipes, you can use goat cheese as one of the substitutes for brie cheese.
Nutritionally haloumi cheese contains slightly less fat (26 per cent) than regular cheddar cheese but more than double the sodium content thanks to the brine used to preserve it. Haloumi is delicious, and as such one of the biggest issues it poses is the risk of overeating.
Brie, camembert, humboldt fog, and some of the other great creamy, spreadable cheeses with those white fluffy rinds belong to this cheese category. When this style of cheese ripens, mold activity takes place on the rind of the cheese. Mold spores literally bloom, becoming fuzzy and soft, like cat fur.
Mold generally can't penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss. So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) around and below the moldy spot.
Tunworth is our own, very British Camembert – a soft, white-rinded cheese wonderfully reminiscent of its French cousin.