Camembert versus Brie
Camembert is the most famous of the four great cheeses of Normandy, the others being Livarot, Pont-l’Evêque and Neufchâtel. But the village of Camembert is surprisingly miniscule.
As we were going there, I asked my taxi-driver to drop me off at a cafe or restaurant. “But monsieur”, he responded, “there are no cafes or restaurants in Camembert, just a few buildings”. Even the museum was closed!
I asked him about other tourists going there — “basically only Chinese”. I laughed and remarked that they of course love big brand names, like Louis Vuitton and Camembert.
But the drive there from Lisieux train station is lovely. Beautiful, gently rolling countryside. Very green. I visited in February, when the weather was very fresh. When the weather warms up, it is the ideal countryside for walking and cycling.
How should you eat Camembert cheese? The traditional way is to have a Camembert sandwich at lunch, or to eat it with your meal and a glass of red wine. My taxi driver scrapes Camembert on a tartine (a slice of baguette bread) at breakfast, and then dunks it in his hot chocolate, such that the runny Camembert cream blends with his rich hot chocolate. Sounds delicious!
Where I come from in Sydney, Australia, most people confuse Camembert and Brie. This is a fatal mistake, even if their tastes can be similar. Camembert is a village in Normandy, over 200 km to the west of Paris. Brie is a region, about 50 km to the east of Paris.
Brie and Camembert are also of vastly different sizes. Brie de Meaux is rather big and round, with an average weight of 2.8 kg with a diameter of 36 to 37 cm. Camembert is a small round cheese, 10.2 cm in diameter and 3.2 cm in thickness.
It is true that the flavours of Brie and Camembert are quite similar. Both are typically described as tasting earthy, nutty, fruity, grassy, and even mushroomy. And yet there are noticeable variations in taste. Brie is milder with a creamy, buttery taste, while Camembert has a deeper, more earthy and intense flavor and aroma.
What is my favourite? Without a doubt, it is Brie!