Camembert vs. Brie: Differences Between Camembert and Brie

Camembert is a cheese made from cow’s milk. It is soft and creamy with an earthy, mushroomy flavor and an edible bloomy rind. Camembert originated in Normandy, in northern France.

Brie is a cow's milk cheese. It is soft and slightly runny with a creamy, buttery flavor. Like camembert cheese, brie cheese has an edible bloomy rind. Brie originated in the Île-de-France region of France, which surrounds the city of Paris.

Camembert and brie are similar in appearance with their pale interior and bloomy, edible rind. These French cheeses pair well with fruits and French baguettes and make excellent additions to charcuterie boards with their mild, creamy taste. Despite these similarities, there are crucial differences between the composition, texture, and flavor of camembert and brie:

• Flavor: Camembert has a stronger flavor than brie. During the cheesemaking process for camembert, makers add a lactic starter five times. For brie, makers add a lactic starter at the beginning of the cheesemaking process, resulting in a mild flavor.
• Milk fat: Brie has a higher fat content than camembert. The milk for brie contains sixty percent milk fat, while camembert uses forty-five percent milk fat. This is a general percentage—there are also triple-cream versions of camembert and brie where the milk fat is above seventy-five percent.
• Texture: Generally, brie has a softer and creamier texture than camembert.

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