French Cheese Brie Nangis

Brie Nangis is a French Brie that is made in the town of Nangis near Paris. It is a very close cousin to the more famous Brie de Meaux. These two Brie's are name certified and cannot be produced anywhere else in France. If you purchase them in France you are in for a real treat and will experience the true essence of Brie. We here in the United States are being deprived of this truly wonderful taste experience. The reason is that Brie Nangis and Brie de Meaux are made with unpasteurized cow's milk that is aged for 40 days. The US FDA will not allow cheeses that are made from raw milk and aged for less than 60 days into the country. So all of the Brie and Camembert imported to the US is made with pasteurized milk. This to me seems to be a silly regulation since the French and Italians have been eating raw milk cheeses for centuries and they do not seem to have any ill effects. Unfortunately there is not much that we can do about this situation. So if you travel to France do yourself a favor and try one of these Brie's and see what you are missing.

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Tasting: As for Brie Nangis it has a white bloomy rind that holds in the soft inner paste. It has a great mushroomy, garlic aroma and flavor and it is a bit milder that Brie de Meaux. This is not to imply that Brie Nangis is a lightweight or bland cheese, on the contrary its subtle flavors and aroma allow it to be versatile. Brie Nangis would be great for the opening cheese on a cheese board or as a nice appetizer before dinner. So, if you are new to Brie try this one first and then compare it to Brie de Meaux.

 Details: A few guide lines on Brie in general: Brie is a living thing and as such it will continue to age as long as the original wheel is not cut. Once the wheel is cut the aging process stops and your brie will begin a downward spiral so it should be eaten in a relatively short period of time. With that said it should last about a week if kept wrapped and refrigerated.The harmless bacteria used to create the bloomy white rind are Penicillium Candidum and Geotrichum. Serving and eating Brie is not complicated , just slice it into a wedge and then cut smaller pieces in the direction of the wedge cut. It is thought to be rude to cut off the tip of the wedge so try not to do that. Once you have your slice you can scoop out the paste or just eat it, bloomy rind and all. Eating the rind is really a matter of personal taste, it does impart a slightly different flavor and mouth feel but it is not unpleasant. However, it is not improper to just eat the inner cheese by scooping it out.

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Buying Brie; look at it and smell it, brie should bulge but not run when it is cut and the rind should be semi-soft to the touch, if it is hard or cracked do not buy it. Brie should smell a bit mushroomy but if it smells somewhat like ammonia stay away from it because it way past its prime. Here in the states look for the Rouzaire brand and you will be getting a brie that is VERY close to the brie you would get in France. Pasteurized Brie has fat content of 60%.

The imported Rouzaire brand of Fromage de Meaux Brie is probably the best that is available here in the states followed by Rouzaire Brie Nangis, Chatelain Brie, Isigny Brie, Tour de Marze, and Bellerive Brie. We feel that you should treat yourself well, so buy the French imported Brie instead of the factory made items found in the supermarket. Check out our review of Ile de France Brie.

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Wine Pairing:  Any assertive French red wines like Bordeaux or Burgundy will compliment a good brand of Brie.