Even in these turbulent sociopolitical times there is one thing we can always count on, one thing that we know will remain steadfast. Something that we know, even if we've had the shittest day at work or the heaviest weekend, will always be there for us, to make us feel whole again.
That thing is, of course, cheese.
That's right, because no matter what happens you can always stick the oven on and throw a Camembert in there to ease the pain, can't you?
Well, actually, no you can't. Or, at least maybe not the genuine article.
Credit: Creative commons
Advert
Bloomberg reports that France produces 350 million wheels of the good stuff every year, but the real thing is becoming increasingly difficult to come by.
Of the millions of wheels that France churns out annually, only four per year have actual Camembert credentials.
You see, to be a certified, bonafide Camembert, the wheel needs to be stamped with the French Protected Designations of Origin label. This denotes provenance from the specific area of France and tells the buyer that the cheese has been made in the authentic, historically correct way.
Real Camembert cheese is made using unfiltered raw milk that must come from Normande cows. These cows are only fed grass and hay from local pastures and it is also important that once collected the milk mustn't be carried more than just a few yards.
The result is rich, creamy milk which needs to have a fat content of 38 percent at least. It's then ladled by hand, creating that rich creamy centre that cheese connoisseurs just can't get enough of.
"Normandy is the region where the camembert recipe was born," explains Jocelyne Quilichini, a Director of Quality & Food Safety who has worked in the cheese industry for over 20 years.
"The milk produced there suits this cheese's production very well. The terrain of this region is especially well adapted for Camembert cheese making. A temperate climate throughout the year allows the cows to graze nine months out of 12.
"A good camembert needs very good quality milk, processed very quickly after arriving in the cheese factory."
Don't panic too much though, the scarcity of real Camembert means it's pretty unlikely that you've ever actually had it and you'll no doubt still be able to by the bog-standard stuff available at most supermarkets.
Even if all the Camembert in the world did suddenly cease to exist, the beauty of cheese is that there are so many different weird and wonderful varieties that you could find a new favourite, or 10, in no time.
Featured Image Credit: Darren Cowley/creative commons