Mesturet anecdotes: Is Camembert Norman-French?

It’s known (or it isn’t!) that Camembert is from Normandy and was invented by Marie Harel between 1789 and 1790. Less is known about the recipe for this internationally famous cheese made in the Ile-de-France region.

 

In 1789, all priests were obliged to swear their loyalty to the new Republic or go into exile. One of them, abbot Charles- Jean  Bonvoust, decided to leave and asked an acquaintance where he could hide. It was suggested that he go to a farm called Beaumoncel in Normandy in the village soon to have an international reputation : Camembert.

 

He spent a year there thanks to the hospitality of Marie Harel. The abbot was from Brie and knew the secret of making the cheese of the same name; he decided to thank Marie Harel by giving her this secret. The cheese molds at her farm weren’t the same size as those in Brie, Camembert would be smaller. Later, around 1890, the round wooden box would be created -- now known around the entire world. Once again, a French cleric had created an internationally renowned product. In the future, we’ll talk about others such as Dom Pérignon, not the inventor of champagne, but the one who brought the method of sparkling wine from Limoux.