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EveryCheese

Soft and bloomy-rind

Brie, Camembert and Chaource: a white mould coat and a centre that softens as it ripens.

A disc: a small, flat round with a soft white rind, cut here to show the paste. Camembert, Brie and Reblochon.

Soft-ripened, or bloomy-rind, cheeses ripen from the outside in. A coat of white mould, chiefly Penicillium camemberti, grows over the surface in the first week or two, and its enzymes soften the paste beneath until a chalky young centre turns smooth and spreading. Brie and Camembert are the models, with Coulommiers, Chaource, Neufchâtel, Brillat-Savarin and many new farm cheeses around the world made in their image.

How they are made

Milk is set gently and the curd is ladled into tall moulds with as little handling as possible, so it keeps its moisture. The cheeses drain under their own weight, are salted, and are sprayed with or already carry white mould spores before they go into humid ripening rooms. Within days a soft white down appears, and the cheeses are turned so it grows evenly. Brie de Meaux is ladled with a perforated shovel called a pelle à brie, and Camembert de Normandie is still ladled by hand under its protected rules.

Ripeness

A young bloomy cheese has a firm, chalky core inside a soft rim. Over the following weeks the softening reaches the centre. A ripe Brie bulges when cut but should not run like water, and it smells of mushroom and cream rather than ammonia. Double- and triple-cream cheeses, such as Brillat-Savarin, have cream added to the milk, which makes them richer and denser and gives them a taste close to butter. Ripeness is a matter of taste: some people like the chalky centre, others wait for it to vanish.

Beyond France

The style has travelled widely. England has Tunworth from Hampshire and Baron Bigod from Suffolk, the United States and Canada have a strong farmstead tradition of bloomy cheeses, and Australia and New Zealand make Brie and Camembert in volume. In India, a young generation of artisan cheesemakers has taken up bloomy rinds alongside paneer and Gouda-type cheeses, and Camembert-style cheeses are now made in small batches for city tables.

Worth knowing

  • Brie de Meaux: Large, flat raw-milk Brie from east of Paris
  • Camembert de Normandie: Hand-ladled raw-milk Camembert of Normandy
  • Coulommiers: A smaller, thicker cousin of Brie
  • Chaource: Tall, lightly tangy bloomy cheese of Champagne
  • Neufchâtel: Normandy cheese often shaped as a heart
  • Brillat-Savarin: Triple-cream cheese, rich and buttery
  • Tunworth: English Camembert-style cheese from Hampshire

Good to know

  • Take soft-ripened cheese out of the fridge about an hour before serving.
  • Wrap it in waxed or cheese paper rather than cling film, which traps moisture and brings out ammonia.
  • Cut a round into wedges from the centre so that everyone gets both rind and core.
  • The white rind is edible and part of the flavour.

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.

Bloomy rind on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇪🇬 EgyptMishمش (meš) A fermented Egyptian salty cheese aged in buttermilk brine until sharp and pungent.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreGorgonzola A creamy Italian blue cheese from Lombardy with two distinct styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇩🇪 GermanyHandkäse A small, sour cow's-milk cheese from Hesse, traditionally marinated in vinegar and oil.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇺🇸 United StatesCup cheese A pungent, spreadable Pennsylvania Dutch cheese sold in cupsCow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMunsterMunster-géromé A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges mountains of eastern France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceLivarot A soft Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a pungent orange rind wrapped in reed bands.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceÉpoisses A pungent washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Burgundy, rinsed in local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FrancePont-l'Évêque A soft, square cow's-milk cheese from Normandy with a washed rind and pungent aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceLangres A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Langres plateau in France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicOlomouc curd cheeseOlomoucké tvarůžky A pungent, low-fat ripened soft cheese from the Czech Republic made from quark.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreVacherin Mont d'Or A soft, seasonal cow's milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark from the Jura mountains.Cow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar 🇹🇷 TurkeyTulumtulum peyniri A traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened inside a goatskin casing.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceTrou du Cru A pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, aged with local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceCazelle de Saint AffriqueCazelle de Sant Afric A soft, pungent sheep's milk cheese from the Aveyron department of France.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇨🇦 CanadaDragon's Breath Blue A soft, wax-coated blue cheese from Nova Scotia with a pungent aroma and briny liquid.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreVacherin Mont d'Or A soft, seasonal cow's-milk cheese from the Jura wrapped in spruce bark and served warm.Cow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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