Blessed are the Cheesemakers?
One of the world’s greatest cheeses – Camembert made with raw milk – was today put under grave threat, as the cheesemakers Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mère have given up the Appellation d’Origine Controlee, which specifies the use of raw milk. Being cowardly custards, the minimal health risk which comes from eating premium Camembert has seen these cheesemakers turn to making their produce with pasteurised milk – a process resulting in a decidedly inferior product.
However, the scandal does not end there. These cheesemakers are lobbying to change the laws of the AOC to allow pasteurised milk to be used in AOC-labelled products. This would clearly lead to other raw-milk cheeses being made with pasteurized milk, possibly costing us some of our greatest gastronomic delights. Fancy eating a Brie de Meaux made with pasteurised milk? Me neither.
It was de Gaulle who asked “How can you govern a country that produces 246 different types of cheese?”
The good General is presumably spinning and I don’t mean a press release.
