🧀 Brie

Brie is a soft cheese with a white mould rind, made from cow's or buffalo milk. It is the name of a cheese type, not a protected name: the Codex standard describes flat cylinders that ripen from the surface to the centre. Only Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are protected, both made from raw cow's milk.

The Brie region lies between the valleys of the Marne and the Seine. Cheese was made here on farms, and the size of the mould depended on the amount of milk. In the 18th century agronomists recommended sowing legumes instead of leaving land fallow, fodder increased, and surplus milk went into cheese for nearby Paris. In 1897 Duclaux and Roger first isolated Penicillium candidum from a brie.

Under the Codex standard, ordinary brie has at least 40% fat in dry matter, is up to 5 cm high and weighs from 500 g to 3.5 kg. It normally ripens from 10 days at 10–16 °C. The rind is entirely covered with white mould and may have reddish or orange spots. The white mould itself is a domesticated clonal lineage. 100 g provides 334 kcal, 20.8 g of protein and 27.7 g of fat.

Brie de Meaux weighs 2.6–3.3 kg, from a mould 36–37 cm across. It ripens for at least 4 weeks and is fully mature at 6–8 weeks, with an aroma of cream, butter and hazelnut. Brie de Melun is smaller, 1.5–2.2 kg and 27–28 cm, predominantly lactic, ripens for at least 5 weeks and is mature at 8–10. In 2024, 6,489 and 173 tonnes were sold respectively.

Why it matters to you. Plain «brie» may come from any country and from pasteurised milk; raw milk and the Brie region are guaranteed only by Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun with the AOP mark. Young Brie de Meaux is brittle, while mature cheese is supple and aromatic. The white rind is eaten. The NHS advises pregnant women to eat such cheeses only when thoroughly cooked.