Editing Camembert (section)

== Production ==
The first camembert was made from [[raw milk|unpasteurized milk]], and the [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|AOC]] variety "Camembert de Normandie" (approximately 10% of the production) is required by law to be made only with unpasteurized milk. Many modern cheesemakers outside of Normandy,  France, however, use pasteurized milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations, or convenience.<ref name=smith>{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Tim | title = Making artisan cheese : 50 fine cheeses that you can make in your own kitchen | publisher = Quarry Books | location = Beverly, Massachusetts | year = 2005 | isbn =1-59253-197-0}}</ref>
 
The cheese is made by inoculating warmed cow milk with [[mesophilic]] bacteria, then adding [[rennet]] and allowing the mixture to coagulate. The curd is then cut into roughly 1&nbsp;cm (1/2 inch) cubes, salted, and transferred to low cylindrical camembert molds.<ref name=smith /> The molds are turned every six to twelve hours to allow the [[whey]] to drain evenly from the cut curds; after 48 hours, each mold contains a flat, cylindrical, solid cheese mass weighing generally 250 grams (about 9 oz). At this point the fresh cheese is hard, crumbly, and bland.

The surface of each cheese is then sprayed with an aqueous suspension of the [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] ''[[Penicillium camemberti]]'', and the cheeses are left to ripen for a legally required minimum of three weeks. This [[affinage]] produces the distinctive [[bloomy rind|bloomy, edible rind]] and creamy interior texture characteristic of the cheese.<ref name=smith /> Once the cheeses are sufficiently ripe, they are wrapped in paper and may be placed in wooden boxes for transport.