WEBVTT - The Camembert Necessities 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.560 Hello, and welcome to Save You production of iHeartRadio, I'm Any. 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:13.640 And I'm Lorn vocal Bam, and today we have an 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:15.440 episode for you about Kevin Bert. 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:20.079 Yes, was there any particular reason this was on your mind? Lauren? 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:23.360 Nope, I think I was. 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:26.960 We hadn't done a cheese episode in a minute, and 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:31.040 we love doing cheese episodes, and this was one of 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:32.920 the ones that we have not done before, and I 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:37.600 love it. I think I purchased some for a cheese 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:40.040 played a couple months ago, and you know, why not? 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.640 Why not? We do love our cheese episodes. It's funny 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.559 to me how many times we do them, and somehow 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:53.599 there's still billion much to talk about with the specific 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:57.040 cheese and all other cheeses. But yeah, this one we 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.520 were discussing before we started recording. How to a lot 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.160 written about it, a lot of reading today. 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:05.960 Yeah, this was one of the ones where I was like, well, 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:10.440 I could keep reading about Canon beer for another couple 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:12.800 of days, but I don't have that kind of time, 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:15.200 So I'm going to I'm going to stop. I'm going 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:18.039 to assume that what I have written down in my 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:22.920 notes already is accurate enough for podcast work. 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:26.920 Yes, but it continue. 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:30.000 If you want to learn more and you're somebody who's 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:36.640 more an expert than us, oh yeah, there's plenty more 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:37.360 out there for you. 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.479 Yes, if you want to dive deep into the microbiology 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:42.880 of Canon Bear, you can. 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:46.319 You can, and we would love to hear from you 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:50.840 after you do. I know I've had camm beer. I 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:54.160 feel like this's impossible. I wouldn't have had it, but 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:58.680 I can't recall. I do love Brie, and Brie and 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:00.920 Cam and Bear are often put in the same conversation. 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.760 So I am determined to get it. I looked for it. 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:08.520 My local grocery store didn't have it, so I'm gonna 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:12.520 have to I'm gonna have to branch out, but I 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:16.720 am determined. We also talked about how we both got 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.079 cravings just when we were discussing the topic. 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:25.960 Yeah, every single helpful photo on a website just really 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:27.000 increased the craving. 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:28.919 I was like, oh no, oh dear. 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.000 It was bad. That was before we even chose it. 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:39.200 It was just one of the possibilities. Here we are. Well, 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:45.120 you can see our past cheese episodes for more, maybe 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:47.760 specifically Breede, but all of them. All of them are 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:51.960 in the mix. Sure, and that brings us to our question, 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:58.359 camm bert, what is it? 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:03.119 Well, Well, Camembert is a type of soft cheese made 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:06.600 from cow milk with a bloomy white rind that's sort 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:11.600 of toothsome tender, and a creamy yellow interior that's basically 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:16.399 just melting at room temperature. Its flavor is savory and 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:20.200 a little buttery, fruity and a little funky sharp, like 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:26.840 mushrooms and earth and must It comes in small wheels 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:29.120 just about five inches across and a couple inches high. 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.560 That's maybe twelve by five centimeters, weighing just about nine 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:35.680 ounces or two hundred and fifty grams. Traditionally wrapped in 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.120 coated paper and then packaged into a pressed wood box, 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:42.560 often in a cylinder shape to match the cheese. It's 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.760 most often served as is as a table cheese, like 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.280 in a cheeseplate sort of situation. You know, maybe some 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:52.320 bread or crackers and other accompaniments like fruit, nuts, pickled veg. 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:53.120 What have you. 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.000 But you can bake it with seasonings like herbs, spices, 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.640 or maybe jams or honey to make it even more 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.520 tempting and guey, or use it on sandwiches, or maybe 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.640 to make like a cheesy sauce for pasta or vegetables 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.160 or whatever you want to put a cheese sauce on, 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:14.640 which is everything probably right right, Yep, it's really good 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:21.120 if you enjoy slightly funky cheeses. Camm Beert is like 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.640 it's like if you could take a stone from a 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:29.640 cellar and make it just buttery, spreadable. 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:37.440 I like that. I do really like that kind of mushroomy, 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.880 earthy taste and cheese. Yeah. 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:42.719 Oh it's so. 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:43.760 Good m hm. 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:46.240 But okay. 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:50.039 The term canon Beert can be applied to cheese is 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:54.880 made in the style anywhere by anyone in pretty much anyway. 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:58.680 But there is a protected designation of origin for cam 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.800 and Beert that has made tradition only in Normandy, France, 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.960 which is where the cheese is from. A true Camembert 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:08.240 de Normandy and that is what will be on the 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.520 label has to be made in one of four regions 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:14.760 in Normandy where they have the right grassland for the cows. 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.400 The cow herds have to be at least half made 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:20.080 up of the Normandy breed, which has been bread for 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.719 milk production. Like it's a little bit higher in protein 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:26.520 than usual, super tasty. There are regulations about how the 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:29.440 cows must be grazed and fed, like eighty percent of 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:31.200 their food has to come from the farm that they 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.840 live on. They have to feeld grays for over six 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.000 months a year. The milk obtained is kept raw, that 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:40.400 is unpasteurized. And yes, that means that any Camumbert that 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.200 you have had in the United States is not de 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:46.920 normandy because we've got a ban on import of raw 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:47.839 milk cheeses here. 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:50.800 But anyway, there's regret here. 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:55.360 But anyway, once that cow is milked for the Camumbert 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:58.200 de normandy, you've got seventy two hours to make the 0:05:58.240 --> 0:05:58.919 milk into a. 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:00.600 Cheese that is ready to be matured. 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.320 And cheese very basically is what we do to milk 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.320 to preserve it and make it fun. And we do 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.240 this by getting a lot of the water out in 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.880 this case, not like too much water, So okay, you 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:18.960 start by getting the nutritious and tasty stuff and milk, 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:22.080 that is, the fats and the proteins to clump together, 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:26.800 and these will be your curds. Camembert is curdled using renent, 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.760 which is an animal protein that occurs in calves that 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:33.320 helps them digest milk. And you've also got a boost 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.160 here from naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria that are just 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:40.560 hanging out I mean in the dairy, but also all 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:46.440 around us, all the time, everywhere. Together, rennet and lactic 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:49.400 acid bacteria change the pH of the milk, making it 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.800 more acidic, which makes it curdle, leaving you with solid 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:56.760 curds and liquid whey. The curds are cut and scooped 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:00.320 out of the way and layered into these small individual moles, 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:04.800 gently being allowed to drain for a bit between each 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:06.200 layer to get more way out. 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:07.960 They're not pressed. 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.880 Into the molds as many cheeses are, but rather like 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.960 allowed to drain slowly, mostly under their own weight, for 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.280 at least eighteen hours, and that gentle treatment helps preserve 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.320 the moisture levels and the soft texture of the kurds. 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.960 Once they're firm enough, they're turned out of the molds 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:26.520 and moved to a drying room, where they're turned once 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:30.080 over a period of time to distribute the inner moisture 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:32.680 level and allow the whole surface to dry out, and 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:36.000 then they're moved to a maturing room, sometimes in a 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:39.440 whole different facility run by people whose job it is 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:44.520 to specifically mature cheeses. I didn't know that this job existed. 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:49.040 It's called an affineur and I love this. 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:50.560 I love this. 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:56.880 I do too, right, A good job opportunity. What training 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:57.560 do I need? 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:00.520 Do I need to eat cheese to do it? I 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:05.120 think I can so okay. 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:08.080 In the in the maturing process, the cheese will be 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.600 lightly salted and sprayed with a culture of what's going 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.680 to make it develop its rind and inner texture as 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:18.560 it ages. This specific species of mold that's named for 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:24.240 the cheese, Penicillium camemberti. It thrives in cool, humid conditions. 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:29.040 And part of what this friendly mold does is it 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.760 breaks down the lactic acid that was produced by those 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:35.920 friendly bacteria during the curdling, and it breaks it down 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.880 into carbon dioxide and water. And this is all happening 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:42.360 from the outside in. But as the concentration of lactic 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.840 acid inside the cheese shifts, more lactic acid will migrate 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:50.400 to the surface and get broken down. This, in turn, 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:55.120 will shimmy loose some of the calcium phosphate that's holding 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:59.199 together the proteins of the cheese in the interior. That 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.800 calcium phosphate will then migrate to the cheese's surface, making 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:07.280 the interior of the cheese softer. As the cheese undergoes 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:11.400 all of this, it also develops its flavors. Flavor molecules 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:18.040 involved include ones that are like cheesy and buttery, mushroomy, cabbagey, sweaty, 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:22.040 which sounds like a weird list, but I promise it's 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:25.160 like in a pleasant way. It is like a more 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.680 challenging cheese on the palette than brie, which is a 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:33.800 little bit like milky sweet creamy. In a more direct way, 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.720 this is a little weirder, which you know again if 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:38.240 you dig it. 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.120 Heck yeah. 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:46.200 As the mold grows, it also forms up into this soft, 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:50.120 thin rind all around the exterior of the cheese with 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:53.040 a velvety white surface. Sometimes the little bit of other 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.080 color in there too, like a maybe like a little 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:57.480 bit of rusty red or greenish blue. And for what 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:03.280 I understand, that happens mostly in the traditionally produced cheeses 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:08.040 that have some wild bacteria and or mold action going 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:12.800 in there. Kevin Bear matures for at least thirteen days 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:17.680 before being packaged, that is a rule under the Normandy regulations, 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:21.560 and cannot be sold under those regulations, or more specifically, 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:25.320 cannot be delivered to customers until they're twenty two days old. 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:33.960 I love this, Yeah, so specific right, okay, And this 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:37.920 cheese will continue ripening in its package and we'll start 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:41.960 to develop sharp flavors as amino acids get broken down 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:47.440 and ammonia is released. So the idea is like, probably 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.560 eat it fresh. I mean, unless you like that kind 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:53.719 of thing. I can't tell you what to do, though, 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:56.840 I will say that research has shown that the optimal 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.720 time to eat Cammbert is between three and seven weeks 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:00.000 of age. 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.920 Once again, Lauren, how do we get into this research 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.320 just eating cheese and rating how good it is depending 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:11.600 on how much time has passed. 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:14.240 We are genuinely missing our life's calling. 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.120 Indeed, we must put things correct. 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:22.240 I believe in us. I think that we can make 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:27.600 our dreams come true, our cheese dreams. The best guy, yes, 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:32.360 but yeah so. Camonbert is often just enjoyed straight. Like 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:33.640 you know, you just take it out of the box, 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:35.880 let it come to room temperature, and then eat it 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:39.520 with some bagette or you know whatever, or you could 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.760 you know, put it into a tart or chiche or 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:44.360 on a sandwich or a pizza for a little bit 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.520 of French flair in there. I have seen it referred 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:50.840 to as France's national cheese. 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:56.080 Yes, they seem to be very into it. Well, what 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:57.280 about the nutrition. 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:01.280 You know, cheese is on purpose calorie dense food. That's 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:08.360 the concept of preserving those, you know, tasty nutritious things. 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:11.800 It's watch your portion sizes. It might be a treat, 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.880 but treats are so nice. Cheese treats are aces. 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:23.320 They are difficult to watch your portions. But well, speaking 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.120 of we do have some numbers for you. 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:28.240 We have a few. 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:34.719 So according to those production laws, there are currently one 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.360 five hundred and seventy seven municipalities in France that are 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.840 cleared to make cheese that can be labeled as Kemmbert 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:46.480 In Normandy, them's the facts. There are a couple festivals 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:51.000 that celebrate Kevimbert and other local cheeses around Normandy. One 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.200 in kem Bremer had its thirtieth anniversary this year, having 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.400 started in nineteen ninety five. It also features other protected 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:01.760 designation of origin products like poultry and wine. There's another 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:04.720 in Orbec that hosts up to ten thousand people a 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.719 year and includes a lot of like historical edutainment activities 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.679 like demonstrations of cheese processes and lace making. 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:16.480 Right right. 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:23.120 As of twenty nineteen, Kemembert made up just over half 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.600 of the total production of free type cheeses in France 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:31.240 at eighty eight thousand, three hundred and nine metric tons, 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:43.160 about half of which is sold in France. However, they 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:46.000 are into it. They're into it, They're into it. However, 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.880 of that total, only about five thousand metric tons is 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:57.720 certified Kevin bar to Normandy, it is the best selling 0:13:57.800 --> 0:14:01.840 soft cheese in France and according to one survey, some 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:05.520 seventy French people say that it is the most emblematic 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:09.800 French cheese. 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:14.760 Yeah, and there are a couple of contenders, but I 0:14:14.800 --> 0:14:17.440 would say Camembert. I can see it. 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:22.920 Yeah, yeah, it's it's only the third best selling cheese 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:26.280 overall after Chevra and Comte. 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:28.360 Is that how you say that? Sure? 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:28.840 Yeah? 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:29.920 Great. 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.400 I don't know if the accent of you is there 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:37.040 or not. I can't remember, but I think so it is. Yeah. 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:42.280 So with our powers combined, we still don't know French great. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:46.160 But we're doing our best and that's what we're going 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:47.480 to do. In the history. 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:48.920 Section o hoofta. 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.920 Yes we are, and we will get into that as 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:53.840 soon as we get back from a quick break for 0:14:53.880 --> 0:15:06.840 a word from our sponsors. 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:05.000 And we're back. 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:06.600 Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:11.680 So if you've listened to this show before, you're probably 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:14.800 familiar with the basic theory about the invention of cheese. 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.680 Though it does vary by region and type, it usually 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:22.600 boils down to storing dairy and something like an animal 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:26.840 bladder or a cave, and then agitation through movement and 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.560 or time just letting time pass, and then cheese. 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.680 Yeah, yeah, through the action of right a number of 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:38.479 friendly microbes that we wouldn't really learn about until very recently. 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.840 Yes, which is why there it's often described as an accident, 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:48.239 like what happened here. When it comes to Cammber specifically, 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.600 it is a bit of a newer cheese in the 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:54.880 scheme of things. Normandy's climate and environment make it a 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:59.560 good place for raising cows and therefore making cheese because 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:04.920 camber is something of a very local and national point 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:07.680 of pride. As we've mentioned, there are a lot of 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:10.840 legends about how it was invented, but one in particular 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:15.720 gets repeated the most and here's how it generally plays out. 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.400 During the French Revolution in seventeen ninety one, a priest 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:23.600 was being hunted by angry revolutionaries in Normandy. He came 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:28.080 across a farmer named Many Hedel, who kindly sheltered him. 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:31.640 The priest was from the town of Bri and was 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.080 familiar with making the cheese that shared the town's name. 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:37.040 At Chi Sea is much older than Kim and bhaeron 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:40.440 you can see that episode. As mentioned, Hedel was also 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:44.160 familiar with cheesemaking, having learned it from her mother as 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.440 she grew up on the farm. In return for the 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:52.080 farmer's kindness, or maybe out of boredom or cravings, he 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:57.560 agreed to Dtaete how to make Bri But whether because 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:02.120 of the ingredients, environment acts, or something else, they ended 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.720 up making a different type of cheese that was similar 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.760 to Breathe but not quite it. It was what would 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:13.679 become canon Bear instead. However, others point out that some 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:16.399 evidence suggest that came and beer was recorded in the 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.720 Normandy valley over a century earlier, in the sixteen eighties. 0:17:20.560 --> 0:17:23.560 It's possible that Herel and the priest improved upon the 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:27.000 cheese in some way, but there's no substantial evidence of that. 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:30.919 Others alleged that Herald was not from camen Bear but 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:33.840 a village nearby, and that's a big sticking point. 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:40.399 For them, whatever the case. In these early days, the 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:44.080 mold that works to mature this cheese from the outside 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.480 and was just something that occurred naturally in the places 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:51.160 where people set the cheese down to age. And as 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:54.080 a result of this wild culture, you would have gotten 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.399 slightly different flavors in every batch and different colors on 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:03.200 the rind. Cheese like Camembert and brie would have been 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.800 gray green to green blue in color until sometime in 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:10.040 the nineteen hundreds, yes. 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:15.639 Okay, well, whether this is true or not exaggerated or not, 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:20.160 soon after Harrell allegedly invented cam and beert, it had 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:24.000 become pretty popular, though mostly it was local since it 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:27.159 was a soft cheese and therefore difficult to transport, and 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:31.440 we're talking really local distribution in the beginning, like Aral's 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:35.359 friends and the nearby town and that's it. It was 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:38.040 so local that apparently no one really gave it an 0:18:38.080 --> 0:18:44.040 official name, which brings us to another legend. Napoleon named 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:49.159 the cheese okay, yes, as the story goes Napoleon was 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:53.000 passing through and someone offered him the cheese, and he 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:55.400 loved it so much he kissed the woman who gave 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:57.960 it to him on the cheek and named it officially 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:02.400 after the town, or Napoleon the third did, or neither 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:06.080 of them did, but the Napoleons do get credit for 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:12.320 the whole thing. Yep. The Industrial Revolution made it possible 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:15.720 to ship camembert to other places. On top of that, 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:18.879 we get the invention of the wooden container that was 0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:19.879 used to transport it. 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:21.000 Yeah. 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:24.639 Yeah, And like the circumstance of this cheese coming up 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:27.879 alongside railways booming in like the mid to late eighteen 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:33.800 hundreds absolutely influenced its popularity, Like it was suddenly a 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.240 a product that people were talking about and wanted, and 0:19:36.320 --> 0:19:39.280 b it was able to be transported into city centers. 0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:47.399 It is thought that producers began selecting specifically for that 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:52.000 Penicillium camberti strain around this time, like right around the 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:53.440 turn of the twentieth century. 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:54.879 And P. 0:19:55.080 --> 0:19:59.399 Camemberti is interesting because it's a white mutation of the 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:02.359 types of penns Ilium that were growing wild that gave 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:07.359 those those green blue gray colors. Researchers would isolate it 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:11.000 in nineteen oh six from samples of Camembert cheese, and 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:15.160 they began producing it in labs cheese science. 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:15.760 Yep. 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:21.280 Then in nineteen oh nine a bunch of producers got 0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:25.159 together and formed an association to protect and promote the 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:28.840 traditional production of Kevinbert. The English translation is something along 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:31.399 the lines of like the Association of Producers of True 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:35.160 or Authentic Camembert of Normandy. 0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:39.360 Wow, okay, mmmmm, I don't want to mess with them. 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:41.879 No, you don't, I really don't. 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:48.199 I'm not being cavalier serious, but this brings us to 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:52.840 another legend. According to Saver, in nineteen twenty six, a 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:57.400 New Yorker made the journey to Vitmotier, which is located 0:20:57.440 --> 0:21:01.600 near Normandy, to pay his respects Torel by laying a 0:21:01.600 --> 0:21:04.480 wreath of flowers on her grave. And he claimed the 0:21:04.640 --> 0:21:08.320 cheese Kim and Bert had cured him of his stomach ailments. 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:09.200 Yeah. 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:11.760 I read that he was a doctor and he was 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:17.080 overseas during World War One ish and said that right, 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:19.879 the cheese had helped him and or his patients. 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:26.439 Yes, he also donated twenty dollars and the Association of 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:30.600 producers of Jude Normandy Kevinbert realized that this was a 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:35.959 real opportunity. His donation went to a sculpture of Harel, 0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:40.040 and many speculate that this helped solidify her space in 0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:45.000 history like this, Really the legend is now what we're 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:49.840 saying is true. The statue would eventually be destroyed during 0:21:49.840 --> 0:21:50.840 bombing and World War II. 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:54.280 Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, Normandy is a little 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:57.199 famous for having gone through it. But the statue was 0:21:57.280 --> 0:22:00.600 rebuilt after the war. Apparently it was as a gift 0:22:00.680 --> 0:22:03.879 from this group of cheese factory workers in Ohio, and 0:22:03.920 --> 0:22:06.680 they had one of Harel made for themselves too. 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:13.520 Still, this cheese was pretty regional for a while, but 0:22:13.600 --> 0:22:16.960 that did change with World War One, where the cheese 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:20.200 was popular amongst French soldiers after they got a taste 0:22:20.240 --> 0:22:23.119 of it, and once they returned home, they started asking 0:22:23.160 --> 0:22:26.400 for it and word and demand spread, and not only 0:22:26.480 --> 0:22:27.879 in France but internationally. 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:31.119 Yeah, I think it was part of rations for French 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:35.000 soldiers at some point, and we've heard that story repeated 0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:39.160 about various different foods in all kinds of episodes. That 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:44.359 attention was not all good, however, because between both World 0:22:44.359 --> 0:22:47.600 Wars and then you know all of the disruption that 0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:52.320 those brought, and then post war large dairies getting in 0:22:52.359 --> 0:22:58.879 on production. The traditional production of Camembert started fading, but 0:22:59.760 --> 0:23:03.040 that Makers Association was working on bringing it back. 0:23:04.040 --> 0:23:08.120 Yes, they were. In nineteen eighty three, Camembert received an 0:23:08.119 --> 0:23:11.680 AOC or a controlled designation of origin, which we've talked 0:23:11.680 --> 0:23:17.160 about numerous times. However, as we said at the top, 0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:19.919 cheeses that do not follow the laid out rules for 0:23:19.960 --> 0:23:23.560 the AOC or are processed outside of Canon Beert can 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:26.480 still call their products Camon beer. If you want the 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:30.040 AOC product, the label reads Camon Beert in Normandy. 0:23:30.720 --> 0:23:35.560 Yeah, the cheese received a broader European designation an AOP 0:23:36.000 --> 0:23:42.919 in nineteen ninety six. Around that same time, those larger 0:23:43.040 --> 0:23:49.720 cheese producers started challenging the rules of these distinctions, suggesting 0:23:50.200 --> 0:23:54.280 that traditionally make Camibert could just be labeled as vera 0:23:54.400 --> 0:24:00.439 tab true or authentic and allow factory made is to 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:03.919 share that Camumbart to Norman Dy label. But they have 0:24:04.040 --> 0:24:04.840 been shut down. 0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:09.120 Yes. In two thousand and seven, two of the biggest 0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:13.600 AOC canon beer producers in Normandy started using microfiltered milk 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:18.400 to meet some international health standards around unpasteurized milk, which 0:24:18.440 --> 0:24:21.160 is what the traditional product calls for, and in doing 0:24:21.160 --> 0:24:23.520 so they lost their AOC label. 0:24:24.640 --> 0:24:28.720 Discussions about this have continued around the same time and 0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:32.840 or later and or continually, like other producers were trying 0:24:32.840 --> 0:24:36.160 to use low heat treated milk and get the rule 0:24:36.320 --> 0:24:46.040 changed to allow that. But that committee, that association is insistent, 0:24:47.760 --> 0:24:50.960 and the whole thing has been so hotly debated, like 0:24:51.119 --> 0:24:54.840 larger facilities will insist that their product is safer and 0:24:54.880 --> 0:24:59.480 therefore superior, and the smaller facilities insist that the microbiome 0:24:59.520 --> 0:25:02.960 of the milk before processing is integral to the quality 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:05.280 of the final product, which is therefore superior. 0:25:06.480 --> 0:25:11.960 It's great it is And speaking of hotly debated things, 0:25:12.000 --> 0:25:19.159 oh jeez. McDonald's France rolled out the temporary menu item 0:25:19.400 --> 0:25:26.160