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.

[JimVT]

Sounds like a guaranteed new promo for French Gros Macs au Camembert.

[Rebelbase]

You had to bring up McDonalds.

[curmudgeonII]

please, please ... someone explain the FR significance of cheese and moose references!!

Many freepers are comparatively bored since [thank goodness] Clinton left office.

[Revolting cat!]

I camembert when Camembert was the King of Cheeses! Morbier, how longhorn that was. Feta hasn't been gouda to it lately...

[wysiwyg]

Venezuelan Beaver Cheese?

[Silly]

I don't care how f-[expletive deleted by Moderator]-king runny it is, hand it over with all speed.

[callisto]

Aahhhhh!!!! For some camembert, fresh fruit, a french baguette, and a good bottle of red wine!

[Rebelbase]

DUH-OH!!!!

[Mid-MI Student]

I love a good camembert, had a nice round of it the other week.
Its not a telliago tho.

[wysiwyg]

All your camembert are belong to us.

[BlueLancer]

Re: 16, your list of requirements for discovering the meaning of "CHEESE", you forgot The Secret Handshake Requirement.

Remember that, without using The Secret Handshake first, your Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Membership Card self-destructs.

And then a Møøse shows up and bites you.

[xp38]

No mention of Brie. What's up with that?

[wysiwyg]

No mention of Brie. What's up with that?

Unrelated. Nothing to see here. Move along!

[LiveFree2000]

I am eating my share and more!

[Walkingfeather]

Since no one else picked up the line... I DON'T CARE HOW F***ING RUNNY IT IS BRING IT WITH ALL SPEED...

[Constitution Day]

Secret message below:

Sssshhh!!! I was trying to flush any lurkers and/or Freeper poseurs out into the open!
Whaddaya trying to do, give away ALL the secret double-naught spy type stuff?

[Walkingfeather]

SORRY SILLY Didn't see your post....I think we are up to " ... OH ... the cat ate it...."

[Fiddlstix]

It's about time we got a Bona Fide Cheese Thread!
Thank You

[Martin Tell]

Might as well jump into this cheese thread (string?) with my favorite: Swiss Raclette. A yellow, tangy cheese, melted (in finer Swiss restuarants by a tableside heating device) onto small boiled new potatoes. "Monsieur! Plus de Raclette!" It's tough to find here in Nashville, but my local Kroger has started to stock Raclette. Now that I can have my Raclette and my Belgian beer (Tennessee liquor stores now stock Chimay and a few other of the better known brands) I have concluded that my decision to return from my genteel Clinton exile in Europe was correct. Now if I could only get some Chimay cheese to go with my beer (a decent bagette would be nice as well).

[wysiwyg]

Wensleydale?