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It seems fitting that in this, our twenty-fifth anniversary issue, one in which we are celebrating people, places, and products that have shaped our industry, that we should pay homage to the cheese that really introduced many Americans to the specialty cheeses of France and subsequently, the world. In the late 1960's in the post-Camelot, post-Julia Child era of gustatory exploration and discovery, Brie was headlining in wine-and-cheese parties around the country that were the height of sophistication. For a populace used to commercial blocks of American cheddar and Monterey Jack at the high end, and Velveeta and other processed cheese at the low end, Brie came as a revelation. Easily one of the most famous cheeses in the world, and also one of the most imitated, Brie production may extend back as far as the fifth century, although legend and fact may not always be the same. However, it certainly was being made on farms throughout the Ile de France region during the time of Charlemagne, who was said to have been eating Brie -- and extolling its virtues -- in the eighth century. Later, it became an unwitting symbol of the French revolution when it was reported to be King Louis XVI's last snack before he was arrested in an inn near Varennes. A peasant cheese at heart, one writer said, "Brie, loved by rich and poor alike, preached equality before anyone dreamed it possible."
Brie is a soft-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese, the category of which accounts for about a third of all cheese produced in France. Although it is made in several places today, including the Lorraine and Franche-Comté, it is traditionally a product of Ile de France, the region that includes Paris, and more specifically, it centers around three towns: Meaux, Coulommiers, and Melun, all of which lend their names to their respective cheeses. Traditional Brie, especially those awarded the A.O.C. classification, are always unpasteurized, but of course, the majority of those available to us here in the United States, both imported and domestic, are pasteurized versions, many of which can be excellent and worthy of the name. Production of Brie is really quite simple. First, the milk is coagulated, and then the curds are hand ladled into their forms where they are then salted. The cheese is then sprayed with the Penicillium cultures that spur the growth of the distinctive white "bloomy" rind that the French call fleur. The cheeses are regularly turned and carefully aged anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending upon the type of Brie produced. Misconceptions abound about the right stage to eat the cheese. A perfectly ripe Brie, or any other soft-ripened cheese for that matter, is easy to recognize. Make a loose, not quite clenched fist and press the area between your thumb and forefinger. That is what a ripe Brie should feel like. Also, it should never smell ammoniated, but instead should smell a little like freshly harvested mushrooms. Brie is the quintessential party cheese and marries well with all kinds of fresh fruit, cured meats, crusty bread, and wine. Good-quality Brie should serve as a cornerstone of your cheese selection, and although you don't want your customers to become stuck in a Brie rut, if you are known for having a good Brie selection, it will prompt add-on sales and lead consumers to many other more daring cheese choices.