By Harriet Mallinson | Published on April 28, 2017
What is better than dipping toasted bread into an oozing, rosemary-and-garlic-infused round of delicious camembert? Very little, I’m sure any cheese-lover can agree. But where did camembert first come from?
The cheesemaker to which we owe so much is Marie Harel, who was born on April 28th, 1761 in Normandy, France. Legend has it that Abbot Charles-Jean Bonvoust, who was fleeing persecution during the French Revolution and sought refuge in her village, advised the 30-year-old dairymaid on how to make her cheese even better. He is said to have passed on a recipe used in his region which formed a crust around the soft cheese.
Marie allegedly adapted the recipe to remove cream, make the cheese into a smaller wheel and package it in thin round wooden containers. This made it much easier to transport the tasty stuff from market to market.
Marie’s grandson went on to produce camembert on a large scale but the cheese achieved global fame after it was issued to French troops in their iron rations during the First World War.
These days, camembert is a cheese board staple. But, not only is it a scrumptious treat and wonderfully versatile, it’s actually one of the superior cheeses thanks to its health benefits.
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In a 30g serving of camembert there are 89 calories, 7g fat and 105mg calcium (although who can seriously restrict themselves to such a small helping?).
Compared to cheddar, camembert not only has a quarter fewer calories, but it has more vitamin A and is high in folic acid which the body needs to make red blood cells.
It also has a high-water content due to it being soft-ripened and non-pressed, which means it has 30% less fat than hard cheese but still boasts the same amount of muscle-building protein.
Like other soft cheeses, camembert will improve the profile of your gut bacteria, therefore aiding healthy digestion, metabolism and circulation.
And, as if all that wasn’t enough, a study by researchers at the University of Michigan proved that cheese really does you happy. The casein in the dairy product can trigger the brain’s opioid receptors, generating a feeling of euphoria. Addictive drugs spark the same part of the brain, so when you find yourself unable to say no to a second wedge of camembert, you’ll know why.
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Harriet is Editor of MACROS and perfectly capable of eating an entire log of goat’s cheese in one sitting.
