For lovers of Brie, the downy white rind is the tart bite that balances out the fat-laden, oozing, pungent layer inside.
Did you know that the mouldy rind is one of nature's greatest living surfaces, doing double duty as a shield and a cleaner. The rind allows the cheese's deep flavour and aroma to mature, but also defends it against micro organisms that could spoil it. The Brie repays the fungi on the rind by supplying it with nutrients.
When the Brie comes out of the the casting, it's coated with a Penicillium candidum mould and put on the shelf to age for a few weeks. At 30 to 35 days, the cheese has reached "a point," the French expression for perfect ripeness.
All that I discovered after reading about the amount of salt and sugar that's in much of our food. It's rare that I ever eat any cheese these days or any processed meat, and as my wife is wheat intolerant I don't eat any bread either. That gluten free cardboard that passes itself off as wheat free bread is beyond palatable.
But just like all goodie-goodies I have to admit, when I am out alone, there's a takeaway that I always find myself in where I can buy and surreptitiously enjoy, a brie & bacon roll smothered in mango chutney. Whether the rind is left on I know not, the cheese is melted over the bacon having been microwaved.