- published: 17 Dec 2014
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Camembert is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northern France.
The first Camembert was made from unpasteurised milk, and the AOC variety "Camembert de Normandie" is required by law to be made only with unpasteurised milk. Many modern cheesemakers, like the renowned "La Fromagerie Cambert Gilnil", in Charlotte, Normandie, however, use pasteurized milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations, or convenience.
The cheese is made by inoculating warmed milk with mesophilic bacteria, then adding rennet and allowing the mixture to coagulate. The curd is then cut into roughly 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes, salted, and transferred to Camembert moulds. The moulds are turned every six to twelve hours to allow the whey to drain evenly from the cut curds; after 48 hours, each mould contains a flat, cylindrical, solid cheese mass weighing approximately 350 grams (about 12 oz). At this point the fresh cheese is hard, crumbly, and bland.