Ingredient: Camembert
Category: Dairy- Cheese
Season: All:
Camembert is made from un-pasteurised cow's milk, and is ripened by the moulds Penicillium candida and Penicillium camemberti for at least three weeks.
It is produced in small rounds, about 250 grams in weight, which are then typically wrapped in paper and packaged in thin wooden boxes.
Characteristics
When fresh, it is quite crumbly and relatively hard, but characteristically ripens and becomes more runny and strongly flavoured as it ages.
Camembert can be used in many dishes, but is also popularly eaten uncooked on bread or with wine or meat, to enjoy the subtle flavour and texture which does not survive heating.
It is usually served at room temperature.
History
Camembert was reputedly invented in 1791 by Marie Harel, a farmer from Normandy, thanks to advice from a priest who came from Brie.
The origin of the cheese, we know today as camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialisation of the cheese-making process at the end of the 19th century.
In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel invented the wooden box which was used to carry the cheese, helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today
The Camembert de Normandie was granted a protected designation of origin in 1992 after the original AOC in 1983.
Brie cheese, a similar cheese from a different region
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