The French invented Camembert Cheese – that stinky, creamy delight that folks either love or hate – and, until recently, they’ve had a lock on the best of the type. But, now, Canadian cheese makers have eclipsed the traditional experts and taken this year’s prize for World’s Best Camembert…
You can get a taste of L’Extra Camembert and their excellent Brie at almost any
Canadian Deli or supermarket Fine Cheeses section.
L’Extra, made in St, Hyacinthe, Quebec, has been judged World’s Best Camembert at this year’s World Cheese Contest, held in Wisconsin. French newspapers went wild with mock indignation after the top French Camembert, Isigny Sainte-Mere, was relegated to 12th place in this year’s Camembert runnings. One paper moaned in an editorial that the Canadian win was, “a humiliation for France.” Another claimed a diplomatic incident was only avoided when another French Cheese was named overall Best in the World.
Don’t cry too many tears for the French…
Now… Things aren’t as disastrous for the French as one might think from the press reports. In fact, non-French Cheeses have won the Camembert division before. German Cheeses took the category twice in the past eight years and an Australian Camembert won top honours in its division in 2012. And L’Extra has also won the title before, too, in 2010.
But the Canadian win has stirred up the abiding controversy surrounding the claim by French Cheese makers that Camembert’ should be protected as a Cheese ‘Appellation d’origine Contrôlée’, meaning the name can only be used for ‘real’ French-made Camembert. There are also many French Cheese makers who claim the Canadian Camembert should have been disqualified since it was made with pasteurized milk, not raw milk, which French purists insist is an immutable rule.
The last word goes to the Canadians…
Agropur, the cooperative of dairies and Cheese makers which produces L’Extra Camembert, issued a statement following the win which was not entirely self-effacing…
“The creamy texture and the hazelnut-and-mushroom flavour of our Camembert delighted the refined taste buds of a distinguished panel of international judges,” the company immodestly declared.
Yah. But they won Best in the World. They have a right to brag!
By the way…
You can get a taste of L’Extra’s Cheese making excellence in almost any Canadian Deli or supermarket Fine Cheeses section. Their Grand Camembert and their creamy, tasty Brie are available almost everywhere.
~ Maggie J.