One Type of Brie had an Identity Crisis During the French Revolution
Brie de Meaux, a lovely variety of Brie that’s produced in the French town of Meaux, had something on an identity crisis in the late 1700s. This type of Brie was popular with the poor working class and the nobility alike, and was known as the Queen’s Cheese. Then, suddenly, being associated with royalty became very unfashionable as the French Revolution kicked off, but the rebelling class were unwilling to give up one of their favorite cheeses. Brie de Meaux instead became known as the Queen of Cheese, a slight distinction that allowed peasants to keep eating it while watching their former rulers getting beheaded.