The Appellation (AOC/AOP - Protected Designation of Origin) is "Camembert de Normandie". (If it is not exactly that name, milk can come from all over the world …, instead of Normandie, France, and the recipe quite different).
But for it to be the real thing with raw milk, (not pasteurized or thermised) check that "raw milk" is well specified on the box.
Given the legal battles concerning this Appellation (AOC), it is not certain that the words "Camembert de Normandie" even with "true" or "authentic" will always be sufficient.
Because it is the raw milk of Norman cows (they make a particularly protein-rich milk, and these cows are being reintroduced) which is the quality of the Camembert. Especially since the Norman grass is also particularly rich (It often rains in Normandy).
No raw milk, no quality!
The Camembert was "invented", or at least perfected around 1790, by Mrs. Harel. She would have hosted, in her farm in the town of Camembert, a refractory priest from Brie (hence both recipes are very close). In fact this legend perfectly came during the French Revolution, when the new national identity was being forged. (The French author Corneille already spoke of cheeses from the village of Camembert ... in 1702).
In 1863, during the inauguration of the Paris-Caen railway line, Marie Harel's grandson had a Camembert with Napoleon III. The latter, finding it to his liking, promotes Camembert in Paris.
During the First World War, the camembert producers union obtains that it is incorporated into the ration of the soldiers (the wooden box is perfect for transport / storage). Finally, in 1926, when France covered itself with monuments to the dead of the Great War, a statue was erected to Marie Harel. The cheese has become patriotic!
When buying, check that it is "assez fait" (sufficiently done, ripe. It must sink gently when pressing its center).
The dough should be pale yellow, smooth (not "plâtreux" - plastered), without eyes and not (too much) flow. (In the south of France it is proposed "stilted, or who surrenders"). If not ripe enough, age it as long as needed outside of the fridge.
Like other real cheeses from Normandie, Camembert is particularly strong. At the time of the 1944 landing, American soldiers believed that they would discover corpses in ripening refineries in Normandy. In your refrigerator, if the camembert is "bien fait" (well made, ripe), store it in a closed box, in addition to its wooden packaging.
Some collect the pie chart labels (it's called tyrosemiophilia).
Camembert can also be enjoyed roasted in the oven, breaded, refined with calvados, cooked a la plancha …
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