Brie de Meaux
Encyclopedia
Brie de Meaux is a French
brie
cheese
of the Brie region and a designated AOC
product since 1980. Its name comes from the Brie region and the town of Meaux
. As of 2003, 6,774 tonnes (-13.4% since 1998) were produced.
, soft dough crust, with an average weight of 2.8 kg for a diameter of 36 to 37 cm. Its crust is thin, fluffy and white. The cheese is straw yellow, creamy and soft.
first tasted Brie de Meaux at a monastery in Reuil-en-Brie and enjoyed it greatly.
This cheese was named sacred "king of cheeses" in 1815 by Talleyrand at the Congress of Vienna
.
, Côtes du Rhône, Saint-Émilion
, Pomerol
, Pinot Noir
d'Alsace
, Champagne and other.
The production territory of Brie de Meaux is limited to the departments of Seine-et-Marne
, Loiret
, Meuse
, Aube
, Marne
, Haute-Marne
and the Yonne
.
Brie de Meaux is made with raw milk. It takes about 25 liters of milk to make a large cheese. The fermented milk is placed in a tank for 16 hours, then put in bowl for curding which lasts one hour. It is then cut into small cubes with a slice-curd. Finally, it is molded by hand by thin layers with a brie shovel. The temperature in the room where casting is made must be increased to 33 °C for four hours to evacuate the whey
, then at 24 C for six hours and finally at 19 °C. It is then drained on mats made of reeds. The next day, the cheese is then salted and they will then remain in the curing room for two days. Then, the cheeses are placed in a room at 12 °C in which they will begin to be refined. The characteristic white will begin to appear. After one week, the cheese will be placed in another refrigerator at 7 °C. It must wait 3 weeks minimum, typically 6 to 8 weeks to reach full maturity. Throughout the ripening period, cheeses are routinely returned by hand. The time of manufacture of Brie de Meaux is two months.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
brie
Brie
Brie is a historic region of France most famous for its dairy products, especially Brie cheese. It was once divided into two sections ruled by different feudal lords: the western Brie française, corresponding roughly to the modern department of Seine-et-Marne in the Île-de-France region; the...
cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
of the Brie region and a designated AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
product since 1980. Its name comes from the Brie region and the town of Meaux
Meaux
Meaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
. As of 2003, 6,774 tonnes (-13.4% since 1998) were produced.
Description
It is a cheese with cow's milkMilk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, soft dough crust, with an average weight of 2.8 kg for a diameter of 36 to 37 cm. Its crust is thin, fluffy and white. The cheese is straw yellow, creamy and soft.
History
Legend has it that in the eighth century, French Emperor CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
first tasted Brie de Meaux at a monastery in Reuil-en-Brie and enjoyed it greatly.
This cheese was named sacred "king of cheeses" in 1815 by Talleyrand at the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
.
Tasting
Its best tasting period lasts from April to September after a refining of 8 to 10 weeks. Its yellow straw pulp made at heart reveals a nutty flavor and a slight smell of fermentation. It is more refined, and quite strong. Many wines can accompany the Brie de Meaux: BurgundyBurgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
, Côtes du Rhône, Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-History:Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.The Romans planted...
, Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
d'Alsace
Alsace wine
Alsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white. These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées : Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand...
, Champagne and other.
Manufacturing
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
, Loiret
Loiret
Loiret is a department in north-central FranceThe department is named after the river Loiret, a tributary of the Loire. The Loiret is located wholly within the department.- History :...
, Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Aube
Aube
Aube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, Marne
Marne
Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne...
, Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
and the Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
.
Brie de Meaux is made with raw milk. It takes about 25 liters of milk to make a large cheese. The fermented milk is placed in a tank for 16 hours, then put in bowl for curding which lasts one hour. It is then cut into small cubes with a slice-curd. Finally, it is molded by hand by thin layers with a brie shovel. The temperature in the room where casting is made must be increased to 33 °C for four hours to evacuate the whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...
, then at 24 C for six hours and finally at 19 °C. It is then drained on mats made of reeds. The next day, the cheese is then salted and they will then remain in the curing room for two days. Then, the cheeses are placed in a room at 12 °C in which they will begin to be refined. The characteristic white will begin to appear. After one week, the cheese will be placed in another refrigerator at 7 °C. It must wait 3 weeks minimum, typically 6 to 8 weeks to reach full maturity. Throughout the ripening period, cheeses are routinely returned by hand. The time of manufacture of Brie de Meaux is two months.