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AOC — PDO — Île-de-France
Before Talleyrand crowned its cousin from Meaux at the Congress of Vienna, a cheese already existed in Melun that the kings of France had known since the year 1000. Brie de Melun is the forgotten forefather — smaller, older, more characterful, guardian of a lactic tradition that industry has never managed to tame.
Bloomy-rind cheese from Île-de-France, PDO (AOP) since 1992.
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While Brie de Meaux inherited the grand royal anecdotes — right up to Talleyrand's coronation of it at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 —, Brie de Melun preserves the older making technique of the two: its slow, delicate lactic coagulation reflects the way Brie was made before nineteenth-century industry generalised the heavy renneting of rennet curds.
The documented history of Brie de Melun proper is quieter than that of its cousin. In the seventeenth century, the grammarian Furetière noted "le Brie" in his dictionary, very probably that of Melun, describing it as a keeping cheese — its lactic technology allowing it to keep longer than Brie de Meaux. In 1900, the agronomist A. Vivier published a volume devoted to Fromage de Brie de Melun, detailing its origin, production method and the financial returns of the era. The first defence union for authentic Brie de Melun, bringing together farmers from the arrondissement of Melun and neighbouring arrondissements of Seine-et-Marne, was founded in 1913 to seek new commercial outlets and combat imitations.
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For centuries, both Bries coexisted without any overt hierarchy, distinct in their geography but close in technique. In the nineteenth century, Brie production expanded considerably across the Bassin parisien, driven by the proximity of Paris and its growing demand for dairy products; savoir-faire then diverged between the north (Meaux) and south (Melun) of Seine-et-Marne.
Brie de Meaux adapted to a more generous format, more profitable to produce in volume. Brie de Melun remained wedded to the lactic technique — minimal renneting and an essentially acid coagulation lasting at least sixteen hours. This exacting process, with its crumbly curd that is delicate to handle, yields a cheese with more concentrated aromas, but one far less profitable to produce. It is precisely this refusal of modernisation that forged its character.
Brie de Melun was granted Appellation d'Origine status by decree on 18 August 1980, at the same time as Brie de Meaux became an AOC. Both cheeses share the same interprofessional union — the Union Interprofessionnelle de Défense, de Gestion et de Contrôle du Brie de Meaux et du Brie de Melun. European PDO status followed in 1992. The specifications mandate raw milk, lactic coagulation and ladle moulding — so many obstacles to an industrialisation that never truly gained a foothold here. Today, a handful of farmhouse producers perpetuates this demanding savoir-faire.
Appearance
Flat disc 27 to 28 cm in diameter, 1.5 to 2.2 kg — markedly smaller than Brie de Meaux (36–37 cm). Thin rind, white downy bloom flecked with red or brown streaks and patches that develop with maturation, under the action of Penicillium candidum.
Aroma
Pronounced scent of undergrowth. Towards the end of maturation (8 to 10 weeks), an aroma balanced between animal and vegetal notes.
Taste
At 5 weeks, initially milky then yeasty in flavour, with a slightly acidic taste and a crumbly paste. Fully matured to the core (8 to 10 weeks), it develops a touch of bitterness, a milky taste and a lingering flavour.
Texture
Crumbly and slightly runny beneath the rind early in maturation, the paste gradually softens from the rind towards the centre to become supple to slightly runny once matured to the core. Reputed to be creamier than that of Brie de Meaux.
What fundamentally distinguishes Brie de Melun from all other soft cheeses in the region is its method of coagulation. The raw milk is inoculated with lactic starter cultures, then renneted with a minute quantity of rennet — a maximum of 15 mg/100 L, at a maximum temperature of 31°C. Coagulation then takes place slowly, driven primarily by lactic acid bacteria, over a period of at least sixteen hours.
The resulting curd is extremely delicate. It is scooped out with a ladle and moulded by hand, layer upon layer, into cylindrical moulds 27 to 28 cm in diameter; the very fragile curd must be handled with utmost care, and the cheese is turned at least twice before unmoulding. Maturation lasts a minimum of five weeks, averaging twelve weeks. The maturing cellar — between 4 and 14°C, with a relative humidity of 80 to 98% — does the rest.
whole cow's milk from the PDO area (Seine-et-Marne, Aube, Yonne), used raw without heat treatment.
addition of a lactic starter culture, followed by renneting with a maximum dose of 15 mg/100 L of bovine rennet.
at least sixteen hours of predominantly acid coagulation.
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Brie de Melun benefits from being taken out of the refrigerator at least two hours before tasting — much longer than Brie de Meaux, as its denser paste takes more time to open up. It is best enjoyed on a thick slice of pain de campagne, preferably lightly toasted so that the contrast in texture highlights the melting quality of the paste.
Its natural wine pairings lean towards wines with body and grip: a Bouzy rouge (Champagne Pinot Noir vinified as a still red wine), a Pommard or a Gevrey-Chambertin for red wine enthusiasts. In white, a Chablis premier cru or a Pouilly-Fumé cuts pleasantly through the lactic acidity. Lovers of contrast will appreciate the pairing with a Sauternes at the end of a meal — the honeyed richness of the botrytised wine conversing remarkably with the fermented notes of a well-matured cheese.
Since: 1980
Area covered: Seine-et-Marne (77) · Aube (10) · Yonne (89)
Key requirements: Raw cow's milk · lactic coagulation · ladle moulding · maturation ≥ 5 weeks · diameter 27–28 cm · weight 1.5–2.2 kg
Since: 1992
Area covered: Seine-et-Marne (77) · Aube (10) · Yonne (89)
Key requirements: European registration of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, confirming the requirements of the national specifications.
Brotherhood
Artisan
Large artisan cheese house
Artisanal cheese dairy (family business)
Large artisan cheese house
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