Bloomy rind
A soft cheese covered in a velvety white mould rind, as on Brie, Camembert and Chaource.
Also: soft-ripened, croûte fleurie, white rind
A bloomy-rind cheese has a thin, soft rind of white mould grown deliberately on its surface. The French call it croûte fleurie, a flowered crust. The young cheese is sprayed with or made from milk containing Penicillium camemberti, often with Geotrichum candidum, and left in a humid room where the mould covers it within about ten days. The mould breaks down protein and fat beneath it, so the paste ripens from the rind towards the centre: a young cheese may still have a firm chalky core, while a ripe one is soft through. Brie, Camembert, Coulommiers, Chaource and double- and triple-cream cheeses belong to the family. The rind is edible and part of the flavour.