Soft & bloomy cheese

Brie

France — Brie (Île-de-France, Seine-et-Marne). Made in the Brie region east of Paris for centuries.

PDOBrie de Meaux; Brie de Melun. Both PDO, made with raw cow's milk. Generic 'brie' is made worldwide.

Profile

Milk: Cow's milk.
Pasteurisation: PDO Brie de Meaux and de Melun use raw milk; most supermarket brie is pasteurised.
Texture: Soft, supple to oozing when ripe.
Flavour: Buttery, mushroomy; stronger with age.
Aroma: Mushroom, cream; ammonia when over-ripe.
Rind: Bloomy white rind (Penicillium camemberti), edible.
Typical maturation: About 4–8 weeks

Taste the paste near the rind and in the centre: the outside ripens first. Use the tasting wheel.

Food

Drinks (non-alcoholic)

Optional, if you drink alcohol: Champagne, Light red wine.

Storage: Refrigerate wrapped in waxed or cheese paper; serve at room temperature.

How it's made

Method: Milk is cultured and renneted, the curd is ladled into wide hoops, drained, salted and ripened while white mould grows on the surface and softens the cheese inwards.
Cultures: Mesophilic lactic cultures; Penicillium camemberti (candidum), often Geotrichum candidum.
Coagulation: Rennet
Curd handling: Ladled gently in layers.
Pressing: Not pressed — drains under its own weight.
Salting: Dry-salted on the surface.
Ageing: Ripened in humid rooms; softens from the rind to the centre.

Needs mould cultures, humidity control and weeks of ripening.

Guidance changes: check the source for current wording. Original text; figures quoted from the sources where stated.