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Whether you can actually eat the rind on Brie, according to a cheesemonger
A big slab of Brie is something you see on every cheeseboard, but nobody ever knows how to eat it properly.
First, there’s the issue of how to cut it. Do you cut a block off the end? Or slice it from the side? Then, you have to work out how to eat it. Spoon out the creamy inside and leave the exterior? Or eat the whole thing? Nobody ever knows whether you’re supposed to eat the rind or not, but a cheesemonger has revealed the answer.
Can you eat the rind on Brie?
Madelyn, a 24-year-old professional cheesemonger, says you definitely can eat the rind – and she “encourages” it!
The rind of Brie, Camembert and similar cheeses is formed by strains of mold, usually penicillium candidum, which are purposely added during the cheese-making process.
After it’s made, the cheese is put in a humid room to ripen, which is when the mold forms the hard, white crust that you see on the outside.
The mold strains are responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive flavor and soft, buttery texture.
Brie rind has a tangy, earthy, mushroom-like taste that some people don’t like as it’s quite intense, but others say it’s the best part.
Many mistake the exterior for wax, which some cheeses are wrapped in to provide a safe coating that protects it from moisture and unwanted mold.
How is the mold safe to eat?
I know what you’re thinking. The idea of eating mold sounds horrible, and won’t it make you ill? The answer is, no.
Mold is actually just the name for a type of fungus that produces spores. Yeasts and mushrooms are other common fungi that we eat.
Some molds produces toxins, which is what makes us ill. However, others aren’t dangerous at all and are safe to consume.
Penicillium roqueforti,�Penicillium�glaucum and�Penicillium candidum, the three molds added into cheese, aren’t harmful to us.
Don’t eat some moldy cheeses
You can eat as much Brie, Stilton and Gorgonzola as you like without getting unwell, but not all moldy cheeses are safe to consume.
The US Department of Agriculture says to throw away any “soft cheeses” that are showing mold like cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta. This mold has not been added on purpose and could contain toxins and bacteria that can make you unwell.
Mold spreads through soft cheese very quickly, but it can’t penetrate far into hard cheeses like Cheddar and Parmesan. These are generally safe to eat when moldy, as long as you cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot.
Here’s an easy storage hack to keep your cheese fresh for ‘months’ without it going bad.
