Brie de Meaux

Region Milk Type Ile de France Cow Uncooked, unpressed, soft Fat Grade Affinage 45% AOC 4 to 8 weeks

 

Buy Brie cheese : Cheese Gourmet Shop at Amazon.com!
Everywhere in the USA with the FreshWave system (UPS or US Postal) Buy now!

About Brie: The production area of Brie de Meaux lays about 50 km (31 miles) east of Paris. Brie de Meaux is an ancient cheese. The oldest evidence is found in the chronicles of Charlemagne. The Emperor tasted the cheese in the small city of Brie in the year 774. During the French Revolution, Louis XVI last wish was supposedly for a final taste of Brie.

In 1814, the Prince de Talleyrand organized a European tournament during the Congress of Vienna. Brie de Meaux was awarded the first prize and declared "Le Roi des Fromages" ( The King of Cheeses). Of the many types, Brie de Meaux is probably the finest, and most widely the best known.

Brie making: About 25 liters (6.60 gallons) of pasteurized cow's milk are needed to make one Brie de Meaux cheese. According to tradition, the cheese is cast manually with the help of a "pelle à brie" (perforated ladle/shovel). The cheese is then salted, exclusively with dry salt.

Tasting Brie: Brie de Meaux has the sweetness one would expect from a top world's cheese. Brie de Meaux delivers a very soft combination of hazelnut and fruit aromas.

Tasting advice: Brie is a perfect match with Champagne.

Brie and wine: Enjoy Brie with Champagne! A red Bordeaux or Bourgogne (Burgundy) is also an excellent choice (French Wine Guide)

More French Cheeses: Camembert, Coulommiers