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To most Americans, the Normandy region of France is as famous for its coastline along the English Channel, upon whose beaches the Allied forces landed in June 1944, as it is for its food. For cheese lovers, Normandy is also renowned for the abundance and legendary high quality of its milk, most of which is transformed into an assortment of dairy products, including sweet creamery butter plus several outstanding cheeses. In particular, this region that lies due east and a few hours' drive from Paris is home to a trio of world-class cheeses -- Camembert, Pont l'Eveque, and Livarot, all named for towns near where each was originally made.
Camembert is easily one of the most widely produced (or imitated) cheeses in the world and is one of France's most popular cheeses. Although popular lore credits a farmwoman named Marie Harel with its creation in the mid-nineteenth century, documented accounts exist of a similar cheese being made at least a century before. More likely, it was Harel and her descendants who were instrumental in gaining widespread recognition for the cheese. More significantly, a fellow named Ridel invented the wafer-thin boxes in which Camembert is packaged (at least in France) that allowed the cheese to be shipped around the globe. Camembert is a soft-ripened, or bloomy-rind cheese, meaning that it ripens from the outside in as a result of the mold that grows on the cheese's exterior. In 1910, the snowy-white mold was isolated as Penicillium candidum, which enabled greater consistency and larger production since the mold could then be reproduced and simply sprayed on the fresh wheels of cheese. Many fine versions of Camembert are made in the United States, albeit all from pasteurized milk. Raw-milk varieties are still available in France (they are prohibited here because they are aged less than 60 days) and should be sought out when traveling abroad.
Dating from the thirteenth century, Livarot is one of France's oldest cheeses. It is also probably the least known among American consumers of the trio presented here. Nevertheless, Livarot is a distinctive washed-rind cheese from the Calvados départment. A strong-flavored, smelly cheese, it begins life resembling Camembert except that instead of receiving a shower of Penicillium mold, it is washed regularly with a brine solution and thus, creates a wholly new form of mold, and one that gives it a far stronger flavor -- and odor -- than the relatively mild Camembert. Livarot is nicknamed "Little Colonel" in France because of the five bands of raffia resembling the stripes on a French colonel's sleeve that bind the circular cheese. Traditionally, Livarot is aged in cool, damp cellars for about a month, resulting in its characteristically burnt-orange exterior color.
Pont l'Eveque is a square-shaped, washed-rind cheese that is only slightly younger in historical terms than Livarot. Named for both the town and the bridge that spans the River Touques running through the Pays d'Auge within the Calvados départment, it is generally packed in a wooden box similar to that of Camembert. The exterior has a cross-hatched pattern and a burnt-orange and white color like Livarot, but it delivers a somewhat milder flavor. Although raw-milk versions are still to be found in France, it is the pasteurized varieties that one generally finds in American cheese cases. Again, it is aged for less than 60 days and therefore, must be pasteurized to meet USDA import requirements.
Other notable cheeses emanate from Normandy. Among them are Brillat-Savarin, a triple-crème cheese invented by cheesemonger Pierre Androuet in the 1930's, and Pays d'Auge, a washed-rind cheese from the area of the same name. The cheeses of Normandy are meant for the table and do not lend themselves to cooking. They do, however, lend themselves quite well to all sorts of full-bodied beer, red wine, and in the interest of terroir, they are smashing counterpoints to the delicious apple ciders and Calvados for which the region is justly famous.