Camembert

What is Camembert?

Marie Harel created the original Camembert cheese from raw cow's milk in Normandy, France, in 1791. Presently, only a handful of producers adhere to Harel's traditional process of making cheese from raw milk. Those following Marie Harel's method can legally label their product as Camembert de Normandie, under AOC guidelines. The Camembert de Normandie attained AOC status in 1983 and PDO in 1992, emphasizing a curd-preserving production method, manual drainage, and a minimum maturation period of three weeks.

What Does Camembert Taste Like?

Fresh Camembert is characterized by its blandness and a hard, crumbly texture. The young version exhibits a milky, sweet taste, a smooth, runny interior and a rich, buttery flavour as it matures. The distinctive white bloomy rind results from the presence of a white fungus.

This cheese is best paired with a light red wine such as Beaujolais, Chenin Blanc, St Emilion, St Estephe or traditionally a glass of Normandy cider.

Some varieties of Camembert cheese are:

• Camembert Le Châtelain is made from pasteurised cow's milk. It is succulent, ripe, rich, and creamy and retains most of the authentic flavours and qualities of the milk.
• Camembert St Loup is made from unpasteurised cow's milk. It is delicately moulded by hand using a ladle which enhances its flavour. It offers a gentle saltiness harmonized with the natural sweetness and richness of milk. Its flavor profile is characterized by fruity undertones, and subtle spiciness.