Mushroomy cheeses

A mushroomy cheese smells and tastes of fresh button mushrooms, forest floor and damp leaves. The note belongs above all to bloomy-rind cheeses, where white Penicillium camemberti mould and the yeast-like Geotrichum grow on the surface: Camembert, Brie de Meaux, Coulommiers, Chaource and the bloomy goat cheeses. It also comes from the grey Mucor of natural rinds such as Saint-Nectaire.

The mushroom compound

The main compound behind the smell is 1-octen-3-ol, sometimes called mushroom alcohol, which is also the key aroma of fresh mushrooms. Moulds such as Penicillium camemberti make it from the fats in the cheese. Other compounds add cabbage, garlic and earthy notes as a cheese ripens. In a young Camembert the mushroom note is light and clean; in a ripe one it mixes with cream and garlic; and in an over-ripe one, ammonia takes over.

Camembert and Brie

Camembert de Normandie is made from raw milk in Normandy and ripened for at least three weeks. Brie de Meaux, from the Île-de-France and the land to its east, is larger and flatter, and its mushroom note sits with hazelnut and cream. Both are best at room temperature with a crust of good bread, and in Normandy, Camembert is eaten with cider or Calvados. Baked whole in its wooden box, a Camembert becomes a warm dip for bread and potatoes.

Cooking with mushroomy cheese

These cheeses pair naturally with real mushrooms: Brie in a mushroom tart, Camembert melted over sautéed mushrooms on toast, or a bloomy goat cheese crumbled over a mushroom risotto. They also suit apples, walnuts and honey, and light red wines, cider and Champagne. Cut them cold for neat slices, then let them warm before eating, since the mushroom aroma is much stronger at room temperature.

Worth knowing

Camembert de Normandie: Raw-milk Camembert, ripened at least three weeks
Brie de Meaux: Large flat Brie of the Île-de-France
Coulommiers: Thick, small Brie-type cheese
Chaource: Bloomy cheese of Champagne
Neufchâtel: Bloomy Normandy cheese, often heart-shaped
Saint-Nectaire: Natural rind with Mucor

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.