"Brie" is one of the most famous varieties of soft cheese with a white mold, produced with the addition of Penicillium camemberti or Penicillium candidum cultures.
This variety is made from cow's milk. It got its name from the province of Brie (the French region of Ile-de-France near Paris). Brie has a characteristic pale gray tint and a moldy crust. France also produces soft cheese varieties with herbs, nuts and other ingredients.
Documentary evidence confirms that the “Brie” variety was known as early as the Middle Ages, when it was called “the cheese of kings”. It is known that the famous Blanca of Navarre, the former Countess of Champagne, sent the local "Brie" to the table of King Philip Augustus, who lived from 1165 to 1223.
Then soft cheese with a delicate moldy crust was one of the favorite dishes of the French monarch. It is also known that the majestic Queen Margot and her husband Henry IV were in awe of the Bree variety and its ardent admirers.
Brie is similar in way of preparation and texture to the Norman Camembert. So what's the difference between them? These two varieties differ in terms of fat content. For Bree it is 25%, which is slightly lower than that of its counterpart.
In France, two more types of this cheese are also widespread - "Brie de Meaux" and "Brie de Melin", which have a certificate of geographical protection and attachment to certain regions of the country.
To learn more about soft cheeses with blue mold, the articles on HowProsto will help you! - “Homemade cheese making and making delicious creamy Camembert and brie”, “Features of choosing a mold for making Camembert in cheesemaking”, “Mold cultures of Penisillium candidum and Geotrichum Candidum in cheesemaking” and “Traditions of keeping Camembert cheese in cheesemaking”.
