- For the French village, see: Camembert, Orne.
Camembert is a soft, creamy
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
cheeseCheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into...
. It was first made in the late 18th century in
NormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands.Normandy is divided between French and British...
in northern
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Camembert is made from unpasteurised cows'
milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, and is ripened by the moulds
Penicillium candidum and
Penicillium camembertiPenicillium camemberti is a species of fungus used in the production of Camembert and Brie cheeses, on which colonies of P. camemberti form a hard, white crust. It is responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive taste.- Synonyms :...
for at least three weeks. It is produced in small rounds, about 350 grams (around 12 oz) in weight, which are then typically wrapped in paper and packaged in thin wooden boxes.
Although traditionally made only with unpasteurised milk, many countries today heavily restrict the production and sale of unpasteurised dairy products.
- For the French village, see: Camembert, Orne.
Camembert is a soft, creamy
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
cheeseCheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into...
. It was first made in the late 18th century in
NormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands.Normandy is divided between French and British...
in northern
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Production
Camembert is made from unpasteurised cows'
milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, and is ripened by the moulds
Penicillium candidum and
Penicillium camembertiPenicillium camemberti is a species of fungus used in the production of Camembert and Brie cheeses, on which colonies of P. camemberti form a hard, white crust. It is responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive taste.- Synonyms :...
for at least three weeks. It is produced in small rounds, about 350 grams (around 12 oz) in weight, which are then typically wrapped in paper and packaged in thin wooden boxes.
Although traditionally made only with unpasteurised milk, many countries today heavily restrict the production and sale of unpasteurised dairy products. In these countries, most or all cheeses sold as "Camembert" are actually made with pasteurised milk. Many
gourmetGourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses....
s consider these cheeses not to be "true" Camemberts. The
AOCAppellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des...
variety
"Camembert de Normandie", is required by law to be made only with unpasteurised milk.
Characteristics
When fresh, it is quite crumbly and relatively hard, but characteristically ripens and becomes softer and strongly flavoured as it ages.
Camembert can be used in many dishes, but is also popularly eaten uncooked on
breadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and possibly more ingredients. Doughs are usually baked in the Western world , but in some cuisines breads are steamed, fried, or baked on a hot skillet. It may be leavened or unleavened...
or with
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes...
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
NormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands.Normandy is divided between French and British...
, thanks to advice from a priest who came from Brie.
However, the origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialization 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 and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.
Before fungi were properly understood, the colour of Camembert
rindRind may refer to:*Peel *Pork rind*Rind , a giantess in Norse mythology*Rind, Armenia, also Rrind*Rind et al. , a controversial study on child sexual abuse*Rind , a tribe in Baluchistan...
was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards, the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard.
The cheese was famously issued to French troops during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature and history. It is now internationally known, and many local varieties are made around the world.
The variety named
"Camembert de Normandie" was granted a
protected designation of originProtected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are geographical indications, or more precisely regimes within the Protected Geographical Status framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods...
in 1992 after the original
AOCAppellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des...
in 1983.
Chemical composition
Camembert cheese gets its characteristic flavor from many naturally occurring chemical substances, including
ammoniaAmmonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH
3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to foodstuffs and fertilizers...
,
succinic acidSuccinic acid is a dicarboxylic acid. Succinate plays a biochemical role in the citric acid cycle...
and
saltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. When present, bitter notes may be caused by
ornithineOrnithine is an amino acid which plays a role in the urea cycle.-Role in urea cycle:
L-Ornithine is one of the products of the action of the enzyme arginase on
L-arginine, creating urea. Therefore, ornithine is a central part of the urea cycle, which allows for the...
,
cadaverineCadaverine is a foul-smelling molecule produced by protein hydrolysis during putrefaction of animal tissue. Cadaverine is a toxic diamine with the formula NH
25NH
2, which is similar to putrescine...
, and
citrullineThe organic compound citrulline is an α-amino acid. Its name is derived from citrullus, the Latin word for watermelon, from which it was first isolated in 1930....
. Over-ripe camembert contains an unpleasant, excessive amount of ammonia, which is produced by the same microorganisms required for ripening.
Camembert and Salvador Dalí
"
The Persistence of MemoryLa persistencia de la memoria or The Persistence of Memory – also known by some as Melting Clocks – is the most famous painting by artist Salvador Dalí....
" is one of the most famous paintings by artist
Salvador DaliSalvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquis of Púbol was a Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres....
. The painting has also been popularly known as "Soft Watches" or "Melting Clocks". The original idea of this painting came to Dalí on a hot summer's day. He was at home with a headache while Gala, his wife, was out shopping. After his meal, he noticed some half-eaten
Camembert cheese and how runny it had become due to the heat of the sunny day. That night, while he had been searching his soul for something to paint, he had a dream of clocks melting on a landscape. He went back to the unfinished piece he had been working on, which had a plain landscape with rocky cliffs in the background and a tree on a platform. Over two or three hours, he added in the melting pocket watches which made this the iconic image it is today.
Further reading
Camembert: A National Myth by Pierre Boisard ISBN 0-520-22550-3 claims that Camembert was one of the first globalised, homogenised and standardised foods.
External links