🧀 Brie
Also known as: brie cheese
Brie is a soft cheese with a white mould rind, made from cow's or buffalo milk; only Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are protected.
Brie is a soft cheese under a white mould rind, made from cow's or buffalo milk. The Codex standard describes a flat cylinder or a wedge cut from one: the paste is white to pale yellow, yields to the thumb without crumbling, usually has no holes and ripens from the surface towards the centre. 1
In the United States brie is sold under the federal rule for soft ripened cheeses. At least half of the solids must be milkfat, and a cheese made from unpasteurised milk has to be cured for 60 days or more at no less than 35 °F, about 2 °C. 11 Brie de Meaux, made from raw milk, needs a minimum of only four weeks. 2
A label that says just “brie” names the type, not a place. Such cheese can come from any country and from pasteurised milk, from Président Petit Brie to Ile de France slices. 1 Raw cow's milk and the Brie area are guaranteed only by two full names, Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun, both appellations of origin since 1980. 23
Codex sets a wide frame for the everyday type: at least 40 % fat in the dry matter, a height of about 5 cm and a weight of roughly 500 g to 3.5 kg. Camembert, its nearest relative, is the smaller cheese at 80–500 g and may go down to 30 % fat. 1
The protected pair differ in scale and character. Brie de Meaux is the big one, 2.6–3.3 kg from a mould 36–37 cm across: brittle when young, then supple, with notes of cream, butter and hazelnut at full maturity after 6–8 weeks. 4 Brie de Melun weighs 1.5–2.2 kg in a 27–28 cm mould, tastes mainly lactic and needs 8–10 weeks. 5 Both are moulded by hand, and Brie de Meaux is sold in wedges cut from the centre to the rim. 23
The white coat comes mainly from Penicillium candidum, also known as P. camemberti. Codex also allows Geotrichum candidum, the red smear bacterium Brevibacterium linens and yeasts, and ripening normally lasts at least 10 days at 10–16 °C. 1
The Brie region lies between the Marne and Seine valleys. Cheese was made on farms, and in the 18th century agronomists urged farmers to sow legumes instead of leaving land fallow: more fodder meant more milk, and the surplus became cheese for nearby Paris. 4 Wheels were sold at the Meaux market to Paris ripeners, and Brie de Meaux may still be ripened in Paris and its suburbs. 2 In 1897 Duclaux and Roger first isolated the white mould from a brie. 9
Brie de Melun is called the ancestor of all bries, and local lore has it that the crow in La Fontaine's fable held a piece of it in its beak. 3
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that the white mould on brie means it has gone off?
No. The rind is meant to be covered in white mould, and reddish, brownish or orange spots on it are allowed; the rind is eaten. [1]
Can I eat brie when pregnant?
The NHS advises eating brie and camembert in pregnancy only when thoroughly cooked. [10]
How much Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun is sold?
In 2024, 6,489 tonnes of Brie de Meaux and only 173 tonnes of Brie de Melun. [6]
How much dry matter must brie have?
It depends on the fat: at least 42 % at 40–45 % fat in dry matter, 43 % at 45–55 %, 48 % at 55–60 % and 51 % above that. [1]
Where can Brie de Meaux be made?
In Seine-et-Marne and in parts of Aube, Loiret, Marne, Haute-Marne and Meuse. [2]
Facts
| Raw material | Cow's or buffalo milk 1; Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun, raw cow's milk 45 |
|---|---|
| Country | France for the protected names 45; the cheese type itself is not tied to a country 1 |
| Region | Brie region between the Marne and Seine valleys 45 |
| Temperature | Ripening normally at 10–16 °C 1 |
| Minimum maturation | Normally from 10 days 1; Brie de Meaux 4 weeks 4; Brie de Melun 5 weeks 5 |
| Legal basis | Codex CXS 277 1; Brie de Meaux 4 and Brie de Melun 5 — EU PDO |
Composition per 100 g
| Fat | 27.7 g |
|---|---|
| Protein | 20.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.45 g |
| Energy | 334 kcal |
| Calcium | 184 mg |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Brie → similar → 🧀 Camembert → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Part of
- ⚪ Soft cheeses with a bloomy rind, 🇫🇷 French cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Camembert, Mlekovita La Polle
Similar
🧀 Saint-Paulin · 🧀 Camembert · 🧀 Mimolette
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
What it includes
Sources
- FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius. Milk and milk products, 2nd ed. (2011): CODEX STAN 276-1973 Camembert and CODEX STAN 277-1973 Brie
- INAO: AOP Brie de Meaux
- INAO: AOP Brie de Melun
- OJ C 64, 27.2.2020 — Brie de Meaux (PDO), single document
- OJ C 83, 13.3.2020 — Brie de Melun (PDO), single document
- CNAOL / INAO — Produits laitiers AOP et IGP, chiffres clés 2024 (septembre 2025)
- MilchPQV, Anlage 4 — Käsestandardsorten, gesetze-im-internet.de
- USDA FoodData Central — Cheese, brie (FDC 172177)
- Ropars J. et al. — Domestication of the Emblematic White Cheese-Making Fungus Penicillium camemberti (Current Biology, 2020)
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy — cheese, milk and other dairy
- 21 CFR 133.182 — Soft ripened cheeses (eCFR, U.S. Food and Drug Administration)