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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
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesSaga A mild Danish blue-veined cheese with a white mould rind and creamy texture.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇫🇷 FranceRoule cheese A soft, herb and garlic flavoured cow's milk cheese rolled into a spiral shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Herbal and grassy 🇺🇸 United StatesCold-pack cheese A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceClochette A small bell-shaped goat cheese from France with a wrinkled white rind and firm texture.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇩🇪 GermanyHandkäse A small, sour cow's-milk cheese from Hesse, traditionally marinated in vinegar and oil.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇺🇸 United StatesD'Isigny A soft American cheese modeled on French Brie and Camembert styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreGorgonzola A creamy Italian blue cheese from Lombardy with two distinct styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreBrie A soft, pale French cow's-milk cheese with a white mould rind, aged for about five weeks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇺🇸 United StatesMorcella A Minnesota sheep-milk cheese coated with morel mushrooms and aged in autumn.Sheep · Semi-soft · Earthy and cellar 🇺🇸 United StatesCup cheese A pungent, spreadable Pennsylvania Dutch cheese sold in cupsCow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇪🇬 EgyptMishمش (meš) A fermented Egyptian salty cheese aged in buttermilk brine until sharp and pungent.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 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 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreReblochon A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the French Alps with a nutty flavour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceLivarot A soft Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a pungent orange rind wrapped in reed bands.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇫🇷 FranceFrench NeufchâtelNeufchâtel A soft, grainy Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a bloomy rind, aged for two months.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 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 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreTvorogтворог A soft, white fermented cow's milk curd from Central and Eastern Europe.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceLangres A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Langres plateau in France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceChaource A soft-ripened cow's-milk cheese from north-eastern France with a white mould rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇨🇿 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 🇫🇷 FranceCoulommiers A soft cow's-milk cheese with a bloomy rind from the Seine-et-Marne department of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇩🇪 GermanyCambozola A mild German cow's-milk blue cheese with a creamy texture and white rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceRocamadourRòcamador A small, soft goat's-milk cheese from southwest France with a protected status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇪🇸 SpainTetillaQueixo Tetilla A soft, conical cow's-milk cheese from Galicia with a distinctive nipple-like peak.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceCrottin de Chavignol A small French goat cheese from the Loire Valley, aged to develop a white or blue rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇫🇷 FrancePouligny-Saint-Pierre A pyramidal goat cheese from central France with a mouldy rind and crumbly white paste.Goat · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 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 🇵🇹 PortugalSerra da EstrelaQueijo Serra da Estrela A soft Portuguese sheep's milk cheese coagulated with thistle and aged for at least a month.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FrancePicodon A small, spicy goat cheese from southern France with a rind that turns golden as it ages.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Meaux A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a white rind from the Brie region of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceGaperon A dome-shaped Auvergne cheese with a white mold rind and garlic-pepper filling.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceSelles-sur-Cher A small cylindrical goat cheese with a grey-blue mould rind from Centre-Val de Loire.Goat · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceSainte-Maure de Touraine A soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from Touraine, aged with a straw through its center.Goat · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FrancePélardon A small, round soft-ripened goat cheese from the Cévennes mountains of southern France.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyToma A soft to semi-hard Italian cow's milk cheese prized for melting.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇫🇷 FranceCabécou A small, soft French goat cheese with a bloomy rind and mild lactic taste.Goat · Bloomy rind 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Marcellin A small, soft cow's-milk cheese from Isère with a creamy interior and bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇩🇪 GermanyMilbenkäse A German quark cheese ripened with living cheese mites in rye flour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇫🇷 FranceChevrotin A soft, washed-rind goat cheese from the Savoy Alps with a reddish rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceAbbaye de Tamié A soft cow's-milk cheese aged in the cellars of a Savoyard abbey by monks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇹🇷 TurkeyTulumtulum peyniri A traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened inside a goatskin casing.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreDomiatiجبنه دمياطى A soft, salty Egyptian white cheese salted before coagulation.Buffalo · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKopanistiΚοπανιστή A soft, spicy Greek cheese from the Cyclades, made by kneading ripening curds.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Salty
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