Brie+(cheese)

=Brie (cheese)= Since the 8th century, Brie has been one of the most popular cheeses in France. However, it originated in the French Province around 774 B.C., when emperor Charlemagne was the first to taste it. He believed that the cheese was absolutely delicious, and he fell in love with its rich, creamy consistency right away. Charlemagne required it to be carried onto two cartloads to Aachen. By 1815, the cheese was nicknamed the "King of Cheeses" by Talleyrand at the congress of Vienna! One of the most spread and believable rumors about King Louis XIV is that his last wish, before he died, was to have one last taste of Brie. Brie cheese is made in a quite different way than the cheese we are used to buying at the grocery store. Fun fact: In order for cheese made with raw milk to be qualified for U.S. transportation, it has to be aged for at least 60 days. That law applies to Brie, since it contains raw milk. Brie starts to overripen for consumption after 60 days, which makes it bad and unhealthy for humans to consume, therefore, it is illegal to import Brie cheese into the U.S. Although, it may be imported if it's made with pasteurized whole or skim milk, but the true and greater Brie cheese is made with the unpasteurized cow's milk. Brie is produced from semi skimmed (unpasteurized) cow's milk. To secure the curd, rennet is added into the milk, and is heated to about 37 degrees Celsius. After that, several layers of the cheese are filled into mold, and it gets stored for approximately 18 hours. Next is the stage where the Brie is salted and aged for at least 4 weeks. The flavor depends on the added ingredients while produced, as well as the color. The more brown and darker the Brie gets, the more complex the flavor is. Cream is the proper and desired color of Brie. If it's still pure white, then the maturing process isn't finished. As soon as the Brie finishes the mature process, it is ready to be served and eaten! It is highly recommended that Brie is served at room temperature. That way, it is easier to enjoy the rich, creamy taste. The French believe that Brie is perfect for any occasion and any meal. People there have it at parties with their wine. Since Brie is so popular and is great for every meal, we will most likely come across it at any restaurant we go to that's not "Americanized." Traditional French restaurants have a cheese course. When we get to the cheese course, we will see Brie on the menu. When we see that others are at the cheese course, we will most likely see Brie on their plate. People on the streets will probably be selling small portions of Brie. For all we know, someone might even offer us a free sample!