Camembert

Description

It originated in Normandy, France. It has existed there since at least 1860, and the construction of the railroad between Paris and Alençon in 1862 allowed the soft cheese to spread outside the region. The fame of Camembert then increased considerably thanks to Napoleon III. He put the cheese on the imperial wooden table and made it known to his state guests. He himself got to know the cheese during a visit to Argentan, a commune in Normandy, where Thomas Paynel, son-in-law of Marie Harel, had given him the cheese to taste. Napoleon was so enthusiastic that he had it delivered regularly to his palace, Palais des Tuileries.

To this day, it is still made in this region from raw milk. If the milk is not pasteurized before processing, the milk in the cheese vat contains a particularly diverse flora. This means that a large number of microorganisms are present. These can be responsible for a unique cheese flavor. But raw milk can also contain pathogens. This is the reason why fresh and soft cheeses in particular are nowadays in most cases heated (pasteurized) before processing. The cheese taste of Camembert can be very different. Especially in France, Camembert is mainly consumed. This means that the consistency of the cheese is almost liquid due to the intense proteolysis. The taste of the cheese could be described as: Pungent, with ammonium notes. In other countries, such as Germany, a typical Camembert flavor is described as smelling like a fresh mushroom. Its surface is covered with a white mold produced by Penicillium Camemberti.