Camembert is a French cheese made of cow milk. Its name comes from the village of Camembert in Normandy, where the cheese is made. Camembert is very similar to brie, but can be distinguished primarily by brie's larger size. Camembert is traditionally made in rounds that are 4.5 inches in width and 1.5 inches in thickness, whereas brie is often much larger.
Camembert is a ripened (i.e. moldy) cheese with a white rind and pale yellow interior. It is very soft and easily spread. It is ripened using the Penicillium camemberti mold, and the length of ripening time determines the strength or mildness of the resulting cheese.