Characteristics:
Camembert, a soft, surface-ripened cow's-milk
cheese, was first made
in 1791 by Marie Fontaine (Madame Harelll) at Camembert, a hamlet in
the Department of Orne, France. It is said that Napoleon was served this
cheese, which was as yet unnamed, and he thereupon named it Camembert.
The industry soon extended from Orne to the Department of Calvados,
and these two Departments are still the principal centers of production.
However, Camembert-type cheese is made also in other parts of France
and in other countries.
Each cheese is about 11 cm
4 1/2 inches in diameter,
2,5-4 cm 1-1 1/2
inches
thick, and weighs about 300 g
10 ounces. The interior is yellow and waxy, creamy, or
almost fluid in consistency, depending on the degree of ripening.
The rind is a thin, felt-like layer of gray mold
and dry cheese interspersed
with patches of reddish yellow. Camembert is made in much the same way as
Brie, but it is smaller and the characteristic flavor differs.
The Method of Making:
Good-quality whole milk or milk standardized to a fat content of 3.5 % is
put
in small vats or in flat-bottomed, conical metal cans that hold about 200
pounds. Lactic starter is added, and the milk is warmed to a temperature
of approximately 30°C 85°F. A little color may be added, and enough rennet
is added so the curd will be firm enough to dip in 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
The curd may be cut before it is put into
the hoops to hasten drainage of the
whey, but usually it is hooped without cutting pH~ 6.4-6.5.
The curd is ladled carefully, a slice at a time and with as
little
breaking as possible, into perforated, circular hoops that rest on rush mats on
drain boards on a draining table. The hoops are about 11
cm 4 1/2 inches in diameter
and 12,5 cm 5 inches deep and are open at both ends. In some factories half hoops
just large enough to slip over the deeper hoops easily (11,5
cm 4 5/8 inches in
diameter and 6,5 cm 2 1/2 inches deep) are used, and in some factories heavy metal
disks are placed on the curd to aid in settling it evenly. The temperature of
the room should be about 21°C 70°F.
The hoops are turned and the mats are changed after a few
hours, and
this procedure is repeated frequently for about 2 days. At the end of the
first day, the cheeses will have settled to a thickness of
3,8-4,2 cm 1 1/2 to
1 3/4 inches, and the deeper hoops may be removed.
At the end of the secund day, the
cheeses are
removed from the hoops, salted with fine dry salt, and may be
innoculated with a culture of mold and bacteria.
The culture either is mixed with
the salt and rubbed
on the surface of the cheeses, or it is dissolved in water
a sparyed on. Then the cheeses are moved to the curing room.
Curing the cheese is the most diffucult part of the
manufacturing process
for there must be a uniform and progressive development of the ripening
agents and at the same time the curd must dry gradually but not too
rapidly. The cheeses are cured on open board frames or shelves at a tem-
perature of about 13°C 55°F.
and a relative humidity of 85 to 90% for
about 3 weeks; then at a temperature of 9-10°C
48-50°F. In the United States,
if the cheese is made from raw milk it is cured for at least 60 days.
They are turned frequently. A primary surface growth of a grayish-white
felt-like layer of mold is followed by a secondary fermentation that produces a
trace of sliminess and changes the surface to show spots of yellow and finally
a reddish or russet color; at the same time the interior of the curd
becomes creamy and somewhat yellow.
The cheeses are wrapped in paper, parchment, or cellophane
and may
be covered with metal foil; they usually are packed in round, flat,
wooden or plastic boxes. Sometimes they are cut in pie-shaped segments for
market-
ing, but they are said to cure more normally if they are not cut. From
13-15 kg
13-15 pounds of Camembert cheese is obtained per
100 kg 100 pounds
of whole
milk.
Analysis:
