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.