Brie Cheese

A type of cheese most often made from cow's milk that is French in origin and has a soft, creamy texture, a creamy white color, and a thin white rind that is edible. It has a sweet taste that can be buttery in flavor or it may have a flavor similar to mushrooms. It is often used as an hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, or dessert cheese.

Brie is covered with a bloomed rind that adds a white or blue tinted color known as a bloom to the rind as well as an enhanced flavor to the cheese. Cheeses such as Camembert or Chèvre are bloomed rind cheeses that display a chalky white colored rind. When produced on the Brie, this type of rind is started by applying a white mold known as Penicillium candidum. As it ages, the mold matures or blooms as it grows a semi-firm crust over the cheese while also penetrating the paste moving from the outer covering to the inner center of the cheese paste. As the mold grows it softens the cheese paste by breaking down the proteins contained in the cheese. If the center of the cheese is soft to the touch, the mold has penetrated throughout the cheese paste. Enjoy the flavors that are not only within the paste but also contained in the rind when eating Brie Cheese.