Brie and Camembert

Brie and Camembert are two of the best known soft cheese.

Soft cheese have an white, edible rind.

The white rind is created by misting/spraying Penicilium candidum or Penicilium camemberti spores onto the young cheese.

The cheese could have either a lactic or stabilized paste (ie. centre). Lactic cheese will continue to ripen becoming softer and oozy in texture and more pungent in aroma as it approaches the manufacturer's best before date.

Smell the rind of soft cheese for ammonia. This occurs when the cheese has become too old. It is not a positive attribute. Do sample the paste (ie. centre), for it may still be very tasty.

Camembert vs. Brie. Camembert are usually lower in milk fat percentage than Brie cheese.