Camembert is said to have been invented in a Normandy village of the same name, in France in the late 1700’s by a French Farmer named Marie Harel. This popular cheese is perfect for any cheeseboard or night in, here are our top facts on Camembert for you cheese connoisseurs.
- Camembert is a milk based, light yellow coloured cheese, that has a sweet taste, textures of creaminess and softness, and is typically shaped as a short cylinder.
- Camembert is traditionally made of unpasteurised milk, known as ‘Camembert de Normandie’, and those with French certification are still made this way.
- The initial process for creating camembert is done by solidifying a mix of warm cow’s milk, rennet and mesophilic bacteria, and the curd is extracted and the whey is then removed.
- Camembert curd is placed in a round form, and once all the whey has been removed, the cheese is sprayed with Penicillium camemberti fungus that has been dissolved in water and is left to ripen.
- It is a requirement by law, that three weeks minimum must pass, to allow camembert to ripen and then be packaged, and the cheese is commonly covered by a thin paper wrap or two, before being packaged and transported.
- The rind (mouldy layer) of camembert has generally been white since the 1970s, although historically it was a blue to grey colour, and was spotted brown.
- Commercial camembert is typically 10 to 11.5 centimetres (4 to 4.5 inches) in diameter, 3.2 to 3.8 centimetres (1.25 to 1.5 inches) in height and weighs approximately 200 to 250 g (7 to 8.8 ounces).
- Camembert is often confused with brie cheese, and while they are similar in texture and appearance, brie is usually much larger or sliced from a large wheel, ages slower, has a milder taste, and often uses a different substance to create the mouldy rind.
- Camembert is very high in fat, sodium, riboflavin, protein, calcium and phospherous; is high in vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, folate and vitamin A; and also contains many other vitamins and minerals.
FUN FACT: Camembert was a common addition to French Military ration packs during World War 1.
