Cheese Culture: I can't believe it's not Camembert

Posted: June 7th, 2007 - 2:52pm by Amy Hubbell

I’ve often been called a cultural snob, primarily for my love of French food. Caring about taste and presentation is something I learned in France, from the French (and not from my parents in Missouri who cook what they call survival food). As Doug and I are traveling in France, we have picked up different kinds of cheeses. In our refrigerator right now there are two types of Camembert: the Monoprix brand that we picked up 10 days ago in Toulouse, and the Reflets de France brand (produced by Laiterie St Hilaire de Briouze) that we bought about 5 days ago in our small village’s supermarket. In the store I pointed out to Doug that this one was made with lait cru – raw milk. I’m not a purist when it comes to French cheeses, and neither is Doug, but we thought it might be interesting to try something “authentic.”

Now every time we open the fridge it stinks so bad from the lait cru cheese we want to pass out. But there is no question which cheese we are eating faster (and not just to get the stink out): the Monoprix pasteurized cheese is resting in the back of the fridge while we eat up the raw milk Camembert. (Incidentally, we’ve both been suffering from frequent trips to the bathroom and trying to figure out what we’ve eaten recently that would bring on such rumbling in our bowels and stinking up the bathroom nearly as much as the fridge.)

In yesterday’s news, two of France’s (and thus the world’s) top lait cru Camembert producers, Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mère, announced that they are forgoing the status of “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée” and switching to cheese made exclusively with heat-treated micro-filtered milk (not quite pasteurized but still an affront to purists).

Lactilis’ spokesperson, Luc Morelon said that although they recognize the importance of Camembert traditions, they’re making the change “[b]ecause consumer safety is paramount, and we cannot guarantee it 100 per cent. We cannot accept the risk of seeing our historic brands disappearing because of an accident in production." In response to his critics Morelon added, “I don't want to risk sending any more children to hospital. It's as simple as that." Others believe that Lactilis simply cannot produce the quantities they want and keep using raw milk. According to the Telegraph, Lactilis’ and Isigny’s decision to opt out has now put pressure on the AOC to accept pasteurized milk. It all boils down to business.

While the French worry about the future of Camembert and other cheeses made from raw milk, I applaud the company for understanding that an unsafe cheese can harm the culture of Camembert more than using heated milk might.

I like having a choice to buy raw milk or processed cheese as I wish, but I understand the risks involved. I also still eat sushi and would likely still dip my finger in raw cake-batter or cookie dough. But when producers are responsible for the safety of thousands, if not millions, of consumers who do not know that what they’re eating might kill them, they need to assess the risks, take measures to prevent them, and in doing so, ensure a culture of safe food.

Categories: Raw Food
Tags: None

Comments

StevenKnights says:

Amy,You have personally reconciled the tension between the superior taste and inferior safety of raw milk cheeses. As you know, all raw milk cheeses produced in the U.S. must be aged for a minimum of 60 days. How do you feel about the fact that this restricts your ability to take an informed risk on a raw-milk Camembert in the U.S.?

Posted on June 7th, 2007 - 3:24pm

TheH says:

Amy,Your lait cru diary entry certainly focused on an interesting subject, that being gourmet tourism, which is an undeniable part of a traveler's international experience. However, as a self-purported 'cultural snob' and the 'language and culture coordinator' for IFSN, I would like to point out your misuse of the very term you are supposed to demystify. There is no such thing as a 'culture of safe food'. Culture is a term that denotes "system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning" (source: U Manitoba*). As you can see, approaches to food preparation, storage and safety in France relay aspects of a culture, but cannot be a culture in and of themselves.Food cannot be excised from the human experience and presented as a stand alone entity. Food safety is a concern shared across international borders. The subject of food safety is an approach or a concern that has an international drive, but it is not a culture.Perhaps a better term could be coined?*http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/courses/122/module1/culture.html

Posted on June 13th, 2007 - 1:44pm

Amy Hubbell says:

Heather, according to your cited definition of culture, food and food safety are very much a part of the "behaviors and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and one another." Cheese is far more than gourmet tourism - it is a part of almost every dinner for the French, and appreciation of it is "transmitted from generation to generation." My French family has some old-fashioned lait cru Isigny-Sainte-M?re made Camembert in the fridge right now, although this cheese will soon become a cultural artifact. By changing the tradition of cheesemaking in their companies, Lactilis and Isigny are coping with their world, that of the people who are at risk of falling ill due to untreated milk. They are changing the current culture, if only on a small level, by ensuring food safety in spite of risks that the larger French culture may accept. Just like Camembert making is very much a tradition in France, transmitted from generation to generation, food safety practices, as you know, are also passed on. Lactilis and Isigny's choice is to make food safety a part of Camembert culture.

Posted on June 15th, 2007 - 8:09am

Amy Hubbell says:

Steve, I used to live with an Austrian woman who would buy the ripest camembert she could find and then age it in the fridge until it liquified. It didn't taste bad at all ... but it made me a bit teary eyed. Bring on the older, smellier and stronger cheese. Yum.

Posted on June 15th, 2007 - 8:10am

TheH says:

Amy,From your response, I see that you agreed with my initial criticism, which was, "approaches to food preparation, storage and safety in France relay aspects of a culture, but cannot be a culture in and of themselves. Food cannot be excised from the human experience and presented as a stand alone entity."My problem was with your conclusion, whereby you referenced the "culture of food safety" which cannot exist unless you are attempting to redefine the term. I would encourage you to use the terminology 'cultural approaches to food safety' rather than implying that a global culture of food safety exists, which is untrue.Regarding the rest of your reply, perhaps you should look critically at some of the Lactilis and Isigny PR you quoted in your original entry. Their statements have been spun in order to convince French consumers that these recipes are changing to safeguard a part of French history.The truth is that their brands/business are more important than traditional French recipes. Their food safety-inspired move was not pushed by 'larger French culture.' It is not, therefore, a major cultural concern.The recipes were risky, but they were only modified to avoid future lawsuits. The story relays an aspect of French business, synonymous with businesses elsewhere in the first world, moreso than French culture.Further, it is only prudent to approach food industry stories based in one nation/society/culture with the understanding that historic brands do not only supply to their regions, and that food safety standards elsewhere in the world (to which they ship their products) may have regulations that are influencing their decisions as well. Globalization is certainly a reality, even for Isigny and Lactalis:"Isigny Sainte-M?re is represented on five continents..."http://www.isigny-ste-mere.com/english/pages/Worldwide/worldwide.asp"Lactalis is amongst the world's leading cheese manufacturers with sales over 600,000 tonnes over 140 countries around the world..."http://www.lactalis.co.uk/corporate_information/lactalis_group.aspTheH

Posted on June 18th, 2007 - 9:16am

constantin says:

i am truly amazed that camembert is still discussed as "safe" or "unsafe food" by people who seem to be otherwise reasonably cultured gourmets.indeed, some people may be sensitive to digesting "lait cru" based products. however, it should be up to them to elect not to consume these.finally,let the "lait cru" sensitive people ponder on what other junk produce they ingurgitate every day...

Posted on November 16th, 2007 - 1:19pm

RebelFarmer says:

1-0 for the Lait Cru team!You all forgetting that reducing the amount of (essentially good) varieties bacteries and fungis in our food will ruin our immune system, especially the ones of our children. (one type instead of 100's of types in one cheese). Please let me know if you discovered the amount of people that died of L(H')isteria. I have heard about one case that triggered the whole anti lait cru case. But how many people in the future will have allergies (or die) because of not properly functioning immune system? Have a look to the movie made about the last lait cru cheeses in France, in which the Pasteur Institute confirms the dangers of reducing bacteries in our food.But the French consumers got back their senses, and the new factory had to close yesterday their doors, because the French wanted back their Lait Cru!http://www.lemonde.fr/aujourd-hui/article/2007/03/14/l-avenir-du-camembert-au-lait-cru_882965_3238.html

Posted on September 29th, 2008 - 8:03am

Amy Hubbell says:

RebelFarmer, I found the link you posted interesting. That article explains precisely why camembert is riskier than other lait cru cheeses, "Le camembert au lait cru est plus sensible aux germes pathog??nes, et sa maturation plus risqu??e. Les p??tes molles ?? cro??te fleurie n??cessitent un suivi tr??s rigoureux. Les germes pathog??nes, lorsqu'ils sont pr??sents, ne seront pas ??limin??s au cours des diff??rentes ??tapes de la fabrication... comme ils peuvent l'??tre pour les autres fromages AOC au lait cru, tels le beaufort, dont la p??te est cuite, ou le reblochon, ?? la p??te press??e."Translated: Raw milk camembert is more susceptible to pathogens and its maturation process is more risky. Soft cheeses with a crust require very rigorous surveillance. Pathogens, when present, will not be eliminated during the different steps of fabrication ... although they can be in other cheeses with the AOC lait cru label such as beaufort, whose crust is cooked or reblochon which is pressed.We do all need bacteria to live, but some types can be dangerous. As for knowing how many sick people with listeria ... it is almost impossible to account for the number of miscarriages and stillbirths that may result. I am not even eating pasteurized camembert or brie during my pregnancy unless it is cooked to eliminate potential risk to my baby.

Posted on September 29th, 2008 - 8:21am