Camembert 'in disgrace' (Bona Fide Cheese Thread)

BBC News ^ | Thursday, 8 November, 2001 | BBC's James Coomarasamy in Paris

[Rebelbase]

One of France's strongest culinary symbols could be in decline.

Sales of Camembert cheese have fallen by around 20% in 12 years.

Cheese producers blame a change in lifestyle, saying many people no longer have time to enjoy Camembert properly.

White, round and pungent - the sight and smell of a ripe Camembert symbolizes France's love of the good culinary life.

But figures just published here show the French are eating significantly less of the celebrated Normandy cheese.

Researchers have found that in the past decade, annual Camembert consumption has fallen by 20,000 tonnes.

Such statistic prompted Le Monde newspaper to say the cheese that was invented by a peasant during the French Revolution was in disgrace.

The runny genuine article is losing out to pasteurised Camembert-lite imitations as well as to other harder cheeses such as Emmenthal.

It seems that a new generation of sandwich-munching French prefer hard cheese they can eat on the move rather than softer varieties, which need to be savoured as part of a leisurely lunch.

In a country where there's been a slump in sales of bread, wine and cheese - the elements of what the French call the holy trinity - it is a sacrilegious turn of events.

[Martin Tell]

Yes.

Fetch hither the fromage de Wendslydale!

Oh. I thought you were speaking to me. Wendslydale's me name.

[Martin Tell]

OK, if you're so smart, id the following: "I don't like cheese. It gives me hives."

[bwteim]

How about Manchego or Reblochon with fresh French bread and a nice Valpolicella?

[wysiwyg]

"I don't like cheese. It gives me hives."

I don't know about that, but I'm pretty sure that møøse bites can cause hives.

[bwteim]

How about Asturian Cabrales?

[Publius]

Chimay.

You said the magic word.

[Martin Tell]

Ever had any Norwegian cheese (perhaps inspired by mooses (mice???)) ? The real old, stinky, brown stuff?

[xp38]

Not much call for Cheddar around these parts sir.

[christie]

I prefer The Laughing Cow myself.

[Martin Tell]

It's only the most popular cheese in the world!

[Martin Tell]

D'accord. J'adore La Vache Qui Ri.

[stanz]

Ooh la la. Zees ees terrible! What weel be next? Za Port Salut weel bid adieu. Za brie est finis. Et za Bleu weel be through. Zeut alors... no Roquefort????

[No Fool]

So, is American Cheese considered REAL cheese, or cheese food?

[Deckard]

Here's another bona fide cheese story from today:

Physicists Contribute To Better Cheese Manufacturing

A new, more sensitive, way of deciding when cheese curd is ready to be cut from the whey is published today in the Institute of Physics journal Measurement Science and Technology.

Researchers from the University Ibn Zohr in Morocco and Le Havre in France have demonstrated a new technique that could make significant savings by reducing waste and simultaneously obtaining more consistent high quality cheese.

Link: www.unisci.com/stories/20014/1108015.htm

[Angelique]

Why Christie! You just brought on a great marketing idea! How about the Grinning Goat or the Laughing Lamb.

Did you know that the legend is that cheese was invented by an Arab going through the desert with milk over 4,000 years ago. He ate and drank his curdles and whey that evening....could have been AZ for all we know!

"The Big Cheese?" Jefferson received a wheel over 1,000 pounds. Thus, onlookers nommed the gift. Watch me on jeapordy tonight!

[Martin Tell]

Several years ago a man went down to his local welfare office to pick up his free government cheese. All they had left was a giant wheel. The man was a bit perturbed - he did not know how he would get it home. He finally decided to wheel it down the street. Well, on a steep hill it got away from him. It rolled down the street and hit a guy waiting for a bus from behind. The guy picked it up and took it home. He brought it into his wife:"Look what I found, honey!" He said showing his wife. "What is it?" She inquired. "Why it's a wheel of nacho cheese." He informed her. "How do you know that? There's no label on it." Her husband replied, "Well, when I got on the bus, this dude was running down the street yelling 'Hey, that's nacho cheese!'"

[Western Phil]

Ever had any Norwegian cheese (perhaps inspired by mooses (mice???)) ? The real old, stinky, brown stuff?

Old Cheese

Gammalost, cheese of the Vikings.

Quote from site: I remember asking my great uncle Arthur how Gammalost was made. His tale was something like, take some cheese, stuff it in an old sock bury it in the manure under the barn and when it is ready it will crawl out. Some Gammalost smells like his recipe could be true, but Gammalost today does not smell strong. Arthur did say you could eat Gammalost instead of taking pennicillin.

[Mid-MI Student]

that is one good cheesy joke

[Angelique]

Alors! Tres terrible!...Camem bet you can brie me some nacho cheese! Par me san le Ro man oh!

[silverkor]

You have never eaten cheese unless you have eaten Stilton