Camembert is a type of cheese that originated in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cows milk cheese that is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit with a slightly lower butterfat content than bries typical 60% and 75% by weight. Camembert is made by culturing pasteurized milk in the United States, though French Camembert must be made with raw milk. The cheese is known for its soft white rind created by microbes like Penicillium camemberti, one of the many bacteria, molds, and yeasts that work on the cheese to ripen it from the outside in. Inside, Camembert has a soft yet solid paste that gradually becomes an oozy, liquid cream line as the cheese matures. Its flavors range from milky and buttery to earthy, mushroomy, or vegetal.

Camembert is often compared to brie cheese, as they are both soft-ripened, bloomy rind cheeses that originated in northern France. However, Camembert is made in a smaller format than brie, typically no larger than eight ounces, and has a more intense and savory flavor profile with well-pronounced nutty and mushroomy notes and a distinct acidic tang not present in brie.

Today, Camembert-style cheeses are made all over the world, including in the United States, but only cheeses made in certain parts of Normandy from the raw milk of at least 50% Normande cows can be marketed under the name Camembert de Normandie. Camembert is often paired with light red wine such as Beaujolais, Chenin Blanc, St Emilion, St Estephe, or traditionally a glass of Normandy cider.