Description
The Brie de Melun PDO is a cheese produced only with raw cow's milk.
Production Area
The production area of Brie de Melun PDO is located traditionally in the village of Melun, located near Paris. It can be produced also in the departments of Seine-et-Marne, Aube, Yonne, in the regions Île-de-France, Bourgogne and Champagne-Ardennes.
Production Method
Brie de Melun PDO is obtained by curdling the milk with acid lactic bacteria and it takes place slowly, lasting minimum 18 hours. The milk must be heated only once at a maximum temperature of 30°C and only for curdling. Later the curd is added by hand with the traditional pelle à brie in moulds with a diameter of 27-28 cm. Dripping is spontaneous. The cheese salting is dry made. The minimum duration of ripening is 4 weeks.
Appearance and Flavour
Brie de Melun PDO has a strong, robust and salted flavour. It is a soft-paste cheese, with a white and velvety, flowered rind which, once ripened, become russet tone. The flavour features a bitter note and, if the cheese is left to breath, it acquires a completely soft taste, with hazelnut and fruit aftertaste.
History
The Brie de Melun PDO has uncertain origins; it could be considered the ancestor of Brie cheeses. The legend tells that in 17th century, the famous French writer Jean de La Fontaine mentioned this cheese in his tale The Fox and the Crow. In the past, the delicate preparation of the product took place only at the farms; on the contrary, today it is made in small dairies which have maintained the traditional preparation and ripening processes.
Gastronomy
Brie de Melun PDO can be conserved in the least cold compartment of the refrigerator, sealed into a box. To better taste its characteristics, it must be eaten at room temperature. So, the cheese must be taken from the refrigerator about an hour before tasting. A typical table cheese, it can be eaten without removing the rind or can be served as a second course or at the end of a meal accompanied by fruits. In addition, as it easily melts, it is very good as an ingredient to prepare first and second courses and local dishes of the area as the croûtes au brie. The delicate aroma with a walnut scent, which is characteristic of Brie de Melun PDO, is enhanced by the combination with Bourgogne or Bordelaise wines, but the ideal is to taste it with the Galliac red wine.
Marketing
The product is sold as Brie de Melun PDO and Vieux Brie de Melun PDO, this last characterised by a darker rind and a stronger taste. It is marketed only at the cheese counter.
Distinctive Features
Brie de Melun PDO has ancient origins and is considered the ancestor of all Brie cheeses. It is characterised by its superficial mould, which is not white colour as the other Brie types, but striped with red-maroon veins due to its particular processing which includes that this cheese, during refinement on straw, is slightly powdered with charcoal dust.
