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Soft and Semi-Soft Ripened Cheeses

Appears in
A Passion for Cheese

By Paul Gayler

Published 1997

  • About
These have a high water content and undergo a similar ripening process to the above. Soft ripened cheeses contain 50-70 per cent water, are spreadable and include Brie, Camembert, Bonchester and Pencarreg. Semi-soft ripened cheeses, such as Bel Paese, Gubbeen and Reblochon, contain 40-50 per cent water and often feel springy to the touch.

Because they are moist and therefore more susceptible to microbes than hard cheeses, they ripen in a matter of weeks rather than months. Unlike hard cheeses, which are ripened from within by adding a starter bacteria to them, soft ripened cheeses are ripened from the outside, by the action of a surface mould which is sprayed on after salting. In order to create a bloomy white rind, such as the one on Brie, Camembert and Coulommiers, the cheese is sprayed with the mould Pénicillium candidum. The relatively mild, creamy characteristics of semi-soft cheeses such as Bel Paese and Morbier are achieved by washing the rind with a brine that slows down bacterial development.

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