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.

🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy

🇫🇷 FranceChabichou A cylindrical French goat cheese with a natural rind, aged for two to three weeks.Goat · Semi-soft · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FranceRigotte de Condrieu A small, soft goat cheese from the Lyonnaise region with a white mold rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇳🇴 NorwayPultost A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇨🇿 Czech RepublicHermelín A soft Czech brie-style cheese with a white mold rind, often marinated or fried.Cow · Bloomy rind · Mushroomy

🇫🇷 FranceSaint Albray A soft cow's-milk cheese from France with a flower-shaped rind and hollow center.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty

🇪🇸 SpainArzúa-Ulloa cheese A soft, creamy cow's-milk cheese from Galicia with a thin yellow rind and sweet grassy flavour.Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Félicien A creamy cow's milk cheese from France with a flower-patterned rindCow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyCaciotta A mild Italian cheese made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇳🇴 NorwaySnøfrisk A soft, spreadable Norwegian goat cheese with a fresh, sour taste.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FrancePerailPérail A soft ewes-milk cheese from Aveyron with a wrinkly ivory rind.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FranceMottin charentais A cylindrical French soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk with a creamy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy

🇮🇹 ItalySquacquerone A soft, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from Romagna with a short maturation.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 FranceDélice de Bourgogne A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Burgundy with a bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FranceCharolais A soft, natural-rind goat cheese from Burgundy with an AOC and PDO status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇲🇷 Mauritania and 1 moreCaravane A soft, Brie-style camel milk cheese with a bloomy rind from Mauritania.Camel · Bloomy rind

🇮🇹 ItalyDolcelatte A mild, sweet Italian blue cheese made from cow's milk with a soft texture.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 FranceChavroux A soft goat's milk cheese sold in small pyramid or cylinder containers.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FranceCathareCatara A soft goat cheese from southern France with a charcoal-dusted rind marked by the Occitan cross.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇨🇦 CanadaLe Pied de Vent A soft raw cow's milk cheese from Quebec's Magdalen Islands, aged for sixty days.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceChabis A soft, white-moulded goat cheese from western France, often spiced.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

🇺🇦 UkraineHutsul sheep bryndzyaгуцульська овеча бриндзя A soft, crumbly sheep's-milk cheese from the Ukrainian Carpathians, ripened and salted by hand.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceExplorateur A soft-ripened triple cream cow's milk cheese from France with a squat cylindrical shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇮 FinlandReindeer cheese A rare Scandinavian cheese made from the high-fat milk of reindeer.Other · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 United KingdomCornish Brie A soft, white-rinded British cheese made from cow's milk in Cornwall.Cow · Bloomy rind

🇬🇧 United KingdomLymeswold cheese A short-lived English soft blue cheese with a white rind, made from cow's milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy

🇬🇧 United KingdomBanbury cheese A historic English cow's-milk cheese from Oxfordshire, known for its thin rounds and sharp taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged

🇬🇧 United KingdomOxford Blue A soft, creamy English blue cheese with spicy and chocolate notes, made in Oxfordshire.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇨🇦 CanadaLe Riopelle de l'Isle A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Isle-aux-Grues in Quebec.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇨🇦 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 🇫🇷 FranceCazelle de Saint AffriqueCazelle de Sant Afric A soft, pungent sheep's milk cheese from the Aveyron department of France.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Nutty

🇫🇷 FranceCouronne lochoise A soft, ash-coated goat cheese from the Loire Valley shaped like a ring.Goat · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇷 FranceBucheronBûcheron A semi-aged goat's milk cheese from France shaped like a short log with a white rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇫🇷 FranceBoursin A soft, herb-flecked French spread made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream.Cow · Fresh · Herbal and grassy

🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇫🇷 FranceFromager d'Affinois A hexagonal industrial soft cheese with a bloomy rind made in France.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇷 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.

Charolais: Jackydarne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Rigotte de Condrieu: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saint Albray: Lyokoï88, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Perail: Benoît Prieur, CC0, source
Chabichou: Mark Baker, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chaumes: Robin dubois, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Vacherin Mont d'Or: Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Hermelín: Original uploader was Aida at cs.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pultost: Jan-Tore Egge, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fromager d'Affinois: Eugene Peretz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Arzúa-Ulloa cheese: :Ficheiro:Festa do queixo de Arzúa 2.jpg feito por Adrián Estévez ( Es, GFDL, source
Trou du Cru: Tristan Ferne, CC BY 2.0, source
Saint-Félicien: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dolcelatte: Richard Rutter, CC BY 2.0, source
Caciotta: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Robiola: Andrea Marchisio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mottin charentais: Cobber17, CC BY 3.0, source
Délice de Bourgogne: Beprost, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Squacquerone: WILO-MA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chavroux: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
Cathare: Paul Munhoven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Le Pied de Vent: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Hutsul sheep bryndzya: Ukrinform TV, CC BY 3.0, source
Le Riopelle de l'Isle: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Reindeer cheese: Jennifer Woodard Maderazo, CC BY 2.0, source
Couronne lochoise: Thomon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bucheron: Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Lymeswold cheese: Eirian Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Banbury cheese: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Oxford Blue: Amanda Slater, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Brie de Melun: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source