Could the days of Camembert cheese be numbered? • FRANCE 24 English
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- čas přidán 29. 04. 2024
- Cheese lovers beware: the days of Camembert could be numbered. According to France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), a lack of microbial diversity risks driving the famed French soft cheese to the brink of extinction. Researchers say a single mould strain known as Penicillium camemberti, which is essential for the production of camembert, is now unable to reproduce. This has led to a collapse in its genetic make-up, threatening its survival and that of the iconic cheese along with it. The Down to Earth team reports from France's Normandy region, the home of Camembert.
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Hardly the smelliest cheese in France.
Not even close
Yea, it's like they've never heard of Vieux Boulogne
@@serebii666 🙂
Any washed rind cheese is smellier than Camembert.
Liverot from nearby really stinks! Had to leave it outside on window ledge.
A similar risk occurred with the Cavendish banana which became the single most common variety. This variety is now under severe pressure from disease and other issues. Variety and a bit of randomness are crucial to evolution but this concept conflicts with that of high volume mass production and the uniformity required.
Yes, exactly! In the specific case of bananas the Cavendish was chosen for its size, color, seed count and general disease resistance. Then we played with it until it became the standard, sterile nanner we know and only kind of love. The spread of fungus that seems to particularly enjoy the Cavendish was to be expected because anytime a genetic change happens nature answers with her own changes. 😂
Smelliest!! Ha not even close, try Epoisses de Bourgogne. My local deli used to refuse to serve it and had to arrange for a manager from an adjacent shop come in specially for me 🤣
A baked Camembert and a crusty baguette, food of the gods.
A bit click-baity. One strain of fungus, which wasn’t even used traditionally, may not be used in the future. Hardly the end of all Camembert.
If a video title is a question, just assume the answer is "no" and move on.
Blessed Are The Cheese Makers........
What's so special about the cheese makers?
We stand ready to supply all the camembert you can eat though the French would have trouble swallowing it. From New Zealand.
You don't understand... The issue is NOT the processing of the camembert (wich is french, not kiwi, sorry...) but because of the strai "penicillium camembertii"' extinction...
@@tripackonetooth4910 one thing people need to learn is kiwis and Australians are never wrong lol
It wouldn't be Camembert anyway. Camembert cheese has a DOP and can only be made in that region in France. Same with champagne, burgundy wine, etc.
Do you think you can teach French people how to make cheese?! 🤣🤣🤣You've never eaten a real camembert, aren't you? I have trouble swallowing your pale imitation of pasteurized tasteless "camembert" mate! Nope the world is not ready to eat your chi..se...!
@@Stuntman175 Jim?
Didn’t the French have 5000 individual cheeses to select from anyway?
The number its a bit misleading, most of that number are the same cheese made in different villages.
There are probably only a few hundreds truly unique cheese (milk type, mold strain if any, washed/unwashed crust, aging, supplementary ingredients/flavoring and a few other parameters)
Of that number, about only 50-100 are known and sold nationwide
Camembert is probably in the top 10 most popular among the likes of comté, reblochon or roquefort, so its quite important culturally
I remember when the Rinds were not right I was still a child at the time but I remember and they tasted magnificent and yes they were a bluish gray more grey than blue but still they were delicious.
Then we will eat Brie.
With truffles and we will dream, beautiful dreams.
Let them eat cake!
A blue grey rind would be much more interesting and seem more rustic/natural, in my opinion.
... and pink even more ...
I think the issue is less about aesthetics and more that the pale white helps identify any unwanted infections from other fungi
Smelly? Not even close! I love it! I does not last long though, so do not wait long before you eat it!
If it was historically made without the 'penicillium' then it could be made like that again, besides that there has to (at the very least) be a couple thousand other fungi with similar/equal 'abilities' so i'm sure they can find a replacement that looks & tastes "equal" (enough)
So start looking at replacement fungi, im sure they exist, maybe look at other types of soft french cheese or across the border, other countries make all kinds of soft cheeses too, save yourself the effort of having to try 1000's of fungi and just ask what "competitors" are using, considering how the EU works its not like either party would be 'hurting' the other by working together for a bit, both sides already have some level of exclusivity on their own produce & a little cooperation wouldn't change that, if anything it could make the produce more desirable now that its some sort of collaboration.
I like your idea. Alternatively, I thought Camembert meant a specific mold from that 1 area. It's probably still in the environment growing on tree leaves or something. Could they just test the soil, some leaves from different trees, the the fungus on nearby cave walls? Maybe they would find it pretty quickly.
Soooo...all this faf to tell us that Camembert is going to look more natural, so more trendy...
Penicilium or not what's the matter ? Defintely this cheese is very good. I eat it everyday and I'm in good shape. I'll continue like that for a llong time I hope.
A wink from France
No risk at all, wonderful cheese......
I bet chris from abroad in Japan is rolling right now
You can use a geotrichum species with no noticeable distinction on flavour
I am vegan now. But I now know who is to blame for all those Camembert wheels that I could swear were a bit too thin. Ladel lady I want my money back 😂
Seems like a Delicious apple moment. A white bread moment. For a long time, it was the goal to get uniform color and a particular texture. And then it wasn't. Now, the popular apples have variegated skins and there is variety of firmnesses. Breads that are particularly white and light are considered low class and uninteresting. So current Camembert are quite similar and light in color. Time for someone to introduce a more colored variant with a distinct taste. For folks to be using a mixture of cultures rather than a single one.
I think I can survive the loss of Camembert. hahaha
Awesome video! It made me hungry for cheese. 😉
Bring back the blue & green color!
Then they can pry Camembert out of my cold dead hands
So the rind is literally a fungus penicillium Camembert and the bacteria growing on the milk to make the cheese is likely or could likely be called lactobacillus Camembert.
It would seem that the fungus would continue to disrupt the cheese making cycle though if it’s of the penicillium genus.
And the fact that it’s mixed right in and yet the fungus finds the exterior surface for oxygen is astounding.
What are you on about with "bacteria growing on the milk" and "cheese making cycle"? Typically, milk is turned into cheese curds by means of rennet, not bacteria.
There's nothing astounding about the fungus appearing on the exterior of the cheese, seeing as the fungus is mixed in with the mik before the curds are een formed.
Not my favorite cheese but I'd still hate to see anything happen to it.
My favourite cheeses are not French. They are 1. Tilsiter, 2. Cheddar and 3.Emmental.
short term profit over long term viability, greed wins again.
Set me brie!
Here they are the new battles for the future friends, something to stand up for, something to defend and preserve, the golden traditions of our ancestors, hurry up right away and organize First May, International Workers Day celebrations, saving the famous traditional French cheese & paaaarty, go champs go for it, never stop believe in
Yaaay! It reminds me of different too successful organism🖐️
Camembert is not Frances smelliest cheese,
the washed rind cheeses are much stinkier than the bloomy rind ones!
Please, NO!!!
Where are your gloves 😩
Can we help the french cow farms ? #Breyers #Bakertilly
Camembert is far, far from being France’s smelliest cheese. Not very smelly at all.
Mmmmm...Brie!
I think I'd prefer Brie
I hope so can’t stand the stuff
🙄 fertility problems ? Maybe the milk is the problem
The strain is added to the milk. I don't think that it is part of the reproductive cycle of the fungus.
@@joshuaradick5679 The fungi feeds on something in the milk and "converts" that to something else, instilling flavor & texture in the process. Its plausible that what Martin said is related somehow, but it's also possible that its not 🤷♂
Different milk, different levels of pasteurization, different curing time, all of these are honestly something they should test, its highly plausible that the fungi was chosen because it sped up the process (or made import to america more feasible?) & the same process can likely be achieved a bit slower completely naturally (as in, without adding anything at all)
@@suicidalbanananana All these parameters relating to the milk and the cheese-making process are irrelevant, as the fungus is propagated in an environment completely unrelated to these things. It is absolutely certain that the milk is not the problem, so no, it is not plausible that Martin is anywhere close.
Scientist, they are such fearful creatures. How is their history? Are they aware of all the wonderful gourmet foods that have originated out of monasteries/ monks/ nuns and priests? So many wonderful foods; wines, beers, coffee, cheese - many different varieties of cheeses. And all sorts of vegetables. Those scientists could take a leaf out of those spiritual people’s book! Have some faith.
I wonder how I suddenly got an urge for having fried Camembert with toasted bread and blackcurrent jam 🫠