YalTa: CriMea's PreMiere resorT

Premier Club Magazine #6 57
premierdining
Camembert: A true original
Legend has it that during the French Revolution a lady named
Marie Harel, a resident in the town of Camembert, sheltered
an abbot from Brie to save him from the reactionary Jacobin
mobs roaming the streets. For saving his life, the abbot shared
with Harel the secret of making a very delicious cheese that
today takes its name, camembert, from the home of the
grateful abbot.
The descendants of Mlle Harel continued to make camembert
cheese thereafter, and its popularity increased once the
railroad from Paris to Lisieux and Caen was completed,
allowing villagers to bring their delicacy from Normandy to
Paris in just six hours rather than the previous three-day coach
ride. Incidentally, the special wooden box typically associated
with camembert was invented in 1890 to keep the cheese fresh
for longer periods.
By the end of the 19th century, camembert grew rapidly in
popularity worldwide. Production increased but its quality
differed depending on its place of production. That led
Norman cheese makers to form the Syndicat des fabricants du Véritable Camembert de
Normandie (True Norman Camembert Makers Association). Since 1983, camembert
cheese made in Normandy is protected by the AOC designation, meaning it must be
made only of milk produced in this historic region of France.
Chef Megeineshvili recommends camembert well with Burgundy wine and also with
Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion and Cote-de-Bourg. Still the best way to enjoy camembert is to
taste it with dry cider just as they have done in Normandy for over 200 years.