Brie cheese

Brie
Production Area	France
Milk	Cow milk
Pasteurized	Yes in United States (by law), no in most of Europe
Texture	Soft
Fat content	45-50% (25% out of solid and water content)
Protein content	20-25%
Dimensions	Circular discs about 1 inch high and about 15 inches in diameter (typically)
Aging time	At least 4 weeks

Brie is a soft cow's milk cheese named after Brie, the French province in which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern d�partement of Seine-et-Marne). There are now many varieties of Brie made all over the world, including plain Brie, herbed varieties, and versions of Brie made with other types of milk. Brie is perhaps the most well-known French cheese, and is popular throughout the world. Despite the variety of Bries, the French government officially certifies only two types of Brie to be sold under that name: Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun.

Brie may be produced from whole or semi-skimmed milk. The curd is obtained by adding rennet to raw milk and heating it to a maximum temperature of 37�C. The cheese is then cast into molds, sometimes with a traditional perforated ladle called a "pelle � brie". Generally, the bacteria used in this mold is penicillium candidum. The 20 cm mold is filled with several thin layers of cheese and drained for approximately 18 hours. The cheese is then taken out of the molds, salted, innoculated with cheese mold and aged in a cellar for at least four weeks.

The Brie de Meaux, manufactured outside of Paris since the 8th century, was originally known as the "King's Cheese" (later, following the French Revolution, the "King of Cheeses") and was enjoyed by the peasantry and nobility alike. It was granted the protection of AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contr�l�e) status in 1980, and is produced primarily in the western part of the Paris basin.