The Congress of Vienna
The year was 1814. In the wake of Napoleon's defeat and exile to Elba, European royalty and their entourages gathered at the Congress of Vienna to hammer out agreement on boundaries and sovereignty of the various European nations. Author David King* calls the Congress of Vienna “the greatest and most lavish party in history,” at which delegates “would plot, scheme, jockey for position, and, in short, infuriate each other as they competed in affairs of state and the heart.”
Despite endless parties, the Congress achieved pioneering work in culture and human rights, including Jewish rights and a vote to abolish slavery.
No mean feat this, the meetings (and partying) stretched over seven months. Long enough so that, before it concluded, Napoleon escaped Elba, made his way back to Paris and raised another army. Word of the deposed emperor's resurgence escalated the tension in Vienna. Wellington left the Vienna talks and returned to England (and eventually to meet and defeat Napoleon at Waterloo two weeks after the Congress of Vienna adjourned).
At one point in the Vienna proceedings the Frenchman Talleyrand, perhaps to lighten the tension, proposed a friendly competition to see which country had the world's best cheese. Lord Castlereagh argued for English Stilton, Nesselrode touted Switzerland's Emmenthal, Falk countered for Holland's Edam and Alvino vouched for Strachino a blue-veined cheese from the northeast corner of what is now Italy. Talleyrand was silent until a courier arrived with his nominee, Brie de Meaux. As one historian* records it, "The Brie rendered its cream to the knife. It was a feast, and no one further argued the point.” Brie was acclaimed the cheese of kings and the king of cheeses.
The Congress of Vienna may have brought Brie to the world's stage, but it was no newcomer. The emperor Charlemagne is chronicled to have tasted Brie in the year 774. Facing the guillotine in the aftermath of the French Revolution, Louis XVI is reputed to have expressed his final wish for one last taste of Brie before his execution.
The Making, Selecting and Serving of Brie
In France today, there are only 5 or 6 real Brie de Meaux producers left, all situated just 50 km (31 miles) east of Paris. Brie curd is very fragile, easily broken and requires a special room built only for the use of making Brie and Triple Crème. About 25 liters (6.6 gallons) of cow's milk are needed to make one wheel of Brie de Meaux. Fermentation takes at least 18 hours, creating the “ferment du rouge”, a sprinkling or red, or brownish streaks or spots appear under the white down of its rind. Maintaining twelve centuries of tradition, the cheese is molded by hand on a "pelle à brie" (a perforated ladle/shovel). Maturation takes 4 to 8 weeks in a cool cellar during which the Brie develops a white surface mold and the creamy part turns to a light straw color.
Genuine Brie de Meaux has a prominent “terroir” smell. The golden yellow paste is quite smooth and creamy on the tongue, richly flavored with hints of hazelnut and fruit. There are other versions of Brie, some would say bland immitators. Even in France, Brie de Meaux should not be mistaken for the stronger and saltier Brie de Melun, or the less common Brie de Nemours or Brie de Nangis.
The best way to serve Brie cheese is to allow it to come to room temperature. Accompany Brie with a red Côte-du-Rhône, a red Bordeaux or Burgundy. Befitting the cheese of kings, Brie de Meaux is also very friendly with a good Champagne.
Also try Three Baked Brie Appetizer recipes and Camembert Baked in its own Box.
If you can't live without cheese, indulge yourself with these possibilities.
Sources:
VIENNA 1814 By David King, Harmony Books 2008
Talleyrand - the Art of Survival by Jean Orieux, Knopf 1974
Larry Ervin - Foodie, self-taught cook and cookbook addict, I never met a recipe I didn't want to twist, simplify, add or switch out ingredients.
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