Editing Camembert

{{Short description|(Norman) French soft cheese}}
{{For|the French village|Camembert, Orne}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=fr|otherarticle=Camembert (fromage)|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Camembert
| image =File:Camembert de Normandie (AOP) 11.jpg
| othernames =
| country = France
| region = [[Normandy]]
| town = [[Camembert, Orne|Camembert]]
| source = [[Cow]]s
| pasteurized = Not traditionally
| texture = Soft-ripened
| aging = At least 3 weeks
| certification = Camembert de Normandie
[[Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée|AOC]] 1983, [[protected designation of origin|PDO]] 1992
}}

'''Camembert''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|m|ə|m|b|ɛər}} {{respell|KAM|əm|bair}}, {{IPAc-en|UKalso|-|m|ɒ|m|-}} {{respell|-|om|-}}, {{IPA|fr|kamɑ̃bɛʁ|lang|Fr-Paris--Camembert.ogg}}) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened [[cow]]'s [[milk]] [[cheese]]. It was first made in the late 18th century in [[Camembert, Orne|Camembert]], [[Normandy]], in northwest [[France]]. It is [[Camembert#Comparison to brie|sometimes compared]] in look, taste and texture to [[brie cheese]], albeit with a slightly lower [[butterfat]] content than brie's<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foodstruct.com/compare/brie-vs-camembert|title=Brie vs Camembert - Health impact and Nutrition Comparison|website=Food Struct|access-date=2022-05-08|archive-date=2022-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520163633/https://foodstruct.com/compare/brie-vs-camembert|url-status=live}}</ref> typical 20% – 25% by weight.

== 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.

== History ==
[[File:camembert.JPG|thumb|Camembert of [[Normandy]]]]
Camembert was reportedly first made in 1791 by [[Marie Harel]], a farmer from [[Normandy]], following advice from Abbot {{ill|Charles-Jean Bonvoust|fr}} who came from [[Alençon]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.camembert-aoc.org/unil-uk/htm/historique-uk.htm |title=The Invention of Marie Harel, ''Camembert de Normandie'' web site |access-date=2007-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104104135/http://www.camembert-aoc.org/unil-uk/htm/historique-uk.htm |archive-date=2010-01-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She is credited with having refined a previously existing cheese recipe from the [[Pays d'Auge]] region and having launched it into the wider world.<ref name= "Carr1981">{{cite book |last=Carr|first=Sandy|title=The Simon and Schuster pocket guide to Cheese|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|year=1981|page=44|language=en|oclc=7459647|isbn=0-671-42475-0}}</ref> She passed her secrets on to her daughter, whose husband, Victor Paynel, presented one of his wife's best cheeses to [[Napoleon III]], who gave to it his royal seal of approval.<ref name= "Carr1981"/>

The origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialization of the cheesemaking process at the end of the 19th century.<ref>Pierre Boisard, ''Camembert: A National Myth'', 2003 ( {{ISBN|0-520-22550-3}} ) claims that Camembert was one of the first globalized, homogenized, and standardized foods.</ref> In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel, devised the wooden box that 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 understood, the colour of Camembert [[:wikt:rind|rind]] 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 I]], 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 ''{{lang|fr|Camembert de Normandie}}'' was granted a [[protected designation of origin]] in 1992 after the original [[Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée|AOC]] in 1983. The AOC Camembert can only be made from raw, unpasteurized milk from [[Normande]]s cows. Problems with hygiene regulations have caused restrictions on importation and sale in some countries, notably the US;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-13/camembert-cheese-might-be-going-extinct |title=One of the World's Great Cheeses Might Be Going Extinct |last=Zimberoff |first=Larissa |date=2017-06-13 |website=www.bloomberg.com |access-date=2019-09-15 |archive-date=2019-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102224847/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-13/camembert-cheese-might-be-going-extinct |url-status=live }}</ref> a variant made from pasteurized milk is sold in these territories instead.

== Chemical composition ==
Camembert cheese gets its characteristic odor from many compounds.  These include [[diacetyl]] (buttery flavoring for popcorn), [[3-methylbutanal]], [[methional]] (degradation product of [[methionine]]), [[1-octen-3-ol]] and [[1-octen-3-one]] (degradation products of fats), [[phenethyl acetate]], [[2-undecanone]], [[δ-decalactone]], [[butyric acid]], and [[isovaleric acid]],<ref>{{cite journal
| first = J. | last = Kubíckováa |author2=W. Groscha | year = 1998 | title = Evaluation of Flavour Compounds of Camembert Cheese
| journal = International Dairy Journal | volume=314 | pages=11–16 | doi =10.1016/S0958-6946(98)00015-6
}}</ref> as well as volatile sulfur compounds such as [[S-Methyl thioacetate]].<ref>Martínez-Cuesta MDC, Peláez C, Requena T. Methionine metabolism: major pathways and enzymes involved and strategies for control and diversification of volatile sulfur compounds in cheese. ''Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition'' 2013; 53(4): 366-385. {{doi|10.1080/10408398.2010.536918}}</ref>
<gallery caption="Significant contributors to odor of camembert cheese" widths="150px" heights="120px" perrow="4">
File:Isovaleric acid structure.png|[[Isovaleric acid]]
File:Butandion - Butanedione.svg|[[Diacetyl]]
File:Oct-1-en-3-one.svg|[[Oct-1-en-3-one]]
File:3-(methylthio)propanal 200.svg|[[Methional]]
</gallery>

Overripe camembert contains an unpleasant, excessive amount of ammonia, which is produced by the same microorganisms required for ripening.<ref name=McGee>{{cite book |last=McGee |first=Harold |title=On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |year=2004 |isbn=0-684-80001-2}}</ref>

== Comparison to brie ==
{{unreferenced|section|date=August 2024}}
[[Brie (cheese)|Brie]] and Camembert are two similar soft cheeses that are both made from cow's milk. Despite their similarities, there are notable differences between them, including their origin, market shape, size, and flavor.

Brie cheese originates from the [[Brie (region)|Brie]] while camembert comes from [[Normandy]]. Traditionally, Brie was produced in large wheels measuring either 22.9 cm (9 in) or 36.8 cm (14.5 in) in diameter.<sup>[1]</sup> As a result, Brie takes longer to ripen compared to the smaller Camembert cheeses. When sold, Brie is typically cut into segments from the larger wheels, although some variations of Brie are sold as small, flat cylinders. Consequently, the sides of Brie segments are not covered by the rind. On the other hand, Camembert is ripened as a small round cheese measuring 10.2 cm (4 in) in diameter by 3.2 cm (1.26 in) in thickness, and it is fully covered by its rind.<ref>{{Cite web |date= 14 June 2023|title=Camembert vs Brie: What's the Difference |url=https://whatdifferencebetween.com/camembert-vs-brie-difference/ |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=whatdifferencebetween.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720050145/https://whatdifferencebetween.com/camembert-vs-brie-difference/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This difference in size and rind coverage gives Camembert a slightly stronger flavor compared to Brie ripened for the same duration. Once the rind is cut on Camembert, it typically emits a more pungent aroma than Brie.

In terms of taste, Camembert has a stronger, slightly sour, and sometimes chalky flavor. The texture of Camembert is also softer than that of Brie. When warmed, Camembert becomes creamier, while Brie retains more of its structure when heated. These variations contribute to the contrasting characteristics of the two cheeses.

== Packaging ==
[[File:Salon international de l'agriculture 2011 (8).jpg|thumb|right|Farmhouse Camemberts at the Salon international de l'agriculture]]
Typically camembert tends to be sold whole in thin, round, wooden containers made from [[Populus|poplar]]. Modern variations in packaging include cartons and tin cans, with a ring-pull tab for opening (Camembert in  metallic boxes does not exist on the French market). The cardboard boxes are reserved for the low-cost camemberts. The product is the same as in the wooden container, wrapped dry in a paper/foil wrapper, and not immersed in brine or oil.

== Camembert from other countries==
A similar cheese is produced in Hungary under the same name,<ref>{{cite web |title=Camembert in Hungary |url=http://www.chew.hu/camembert/ |website=Chew.hu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140619181100/http://www.chew.hu/camembert/ |archive-date=2014-06-19 }}</ref> the Czech Republic under the name ''{{lang|hu|[[Hermelín]]}}'' and in Slovakia as ''{{lang|sk|encián}}'' or ''{{lang|sk|plesnivec}}''. A Camembert-type cheese is also manufactured in Cornwall, UK, and marketed as "Cornish Camembert".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccl-ltd.co.uk/cornish-camembert.html |title=Cornish Camembert |publisher=Cornish Country Larder Ltd |access-date=2014-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627170151/http://ccl-ltd.co.uk/cornish-camembert.html |archive-date=2015-06-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Fonterra]] in [[New Zealand]] make a variant called Camembert Log. This is a long cylinder that is about {{convert|10|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in diameter and weighs {{convert|1|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fonterra |first1=Pacific |title=Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Camembert Log |url=https://www.fonterrapacific.com/product/mainland-special-reserve-creamy-camembert-log |website=Fonterra |publisher=Fonterra Pacific |access-date=4 October 2020 |archive-date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008142937/https://www.fonterrapacific.com/product/mainland-special-reserve-creamy-camembert-log |url-status=live }}</ref> Fonterra also make conventional Camembert cheeses under their Mainland, Anchor and Kapiti brand names.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anchor Food Professionals |title=Cheese Products |url=https://www.anchorfoodprofessionals.com/nz/en/products/cheese.html |website=Anchor Foods |publisher=Fonterra Co-operative Group |access-date=4 October 2020 |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009020549/https://www.anchorfoodprofessionals.com/nz/en/products/cheese.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of cheeses]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Cookbook|Camembert Cheese}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{French cheeses}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cow's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:French cheeses]]
[[Category:French products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Norman cuisine]]
[[Category:Surface-ripened cheeses]]