Camembert

Yes, camembert is high in histamine. Like its close cousin brie, it is a soft cheese ripened with a white mold rind, and that aging is what makes it one of the higher-histamine cheeses.

Why camembert is rated high

Camembert is fresh milk that has been ripened for weeks with cultures and a bloomy white mold. As the cheese softens and its flavor deepens, the bacteria at work steadily produce histamine. The rich, almost runny center and the strong smell of a ripe camembert are signs of how far that ripening has gone. There is no way to develop camembert's texture and taste without also building the histamine that comes with aging.

What changes your risk

• Ripeness — A firmer, younger camembert carries less than a soft, oozing, strong-smelling one, but every camembert is an aged cheese in the high range.
• How long you keep it — It keeps ripening in the fridge. A wedge held for a couple of weeks develops further and tends to run higher than a fresh-cut piece.
• The mold rind — The white bloomy rind drives the ripening. It is essential to what camembert is, not something to trim your way around.
• No fresh version exists — Camembert is only made as a ripened cheese. There is no unaged camembert to reach for, so the real move is choosing a genuinely fresh cheese instead.

Lower-histamine alternatives

The better choice is not a milder camembert but a fresh, unaged cheese. Fresh mozzarella, fresh ricotta, and mascarpone are made without ripening and sit much lower, giving you that soft, creamy feel without the aging. Fresh cream cheese or plain cottage cheese also work when they are fresh. Avoid the lookalikes that are also aged and high: brie, blue cheese, aged gouda, cheddar, parmesan, and any washed-rind cheese.

How to lower the risk

For histamine intolerance, camembert is one to skip rather than portion around. When you want a soft cheese on bread or crackers, use fresh mozzarella or mascarpone in its place. Buy those fresh cheeses near their make date, keep them well chilled, and eat them within a few days. Warming or baking camembert does not lower its histamine, so a baked camembert is not a workaround.

Common questions

Is camembert lower in histamine than blue cheese?

Both are aged and high. Camembert is not a safe alternative to blue cheese; if you are avoiding histamine, both are best left out.

Does baking camembert reduce the histamine?

No. Heat does not remove histamine that already formed during ripening, so baked camembert stays high.

Is a mild, young camembert okay?

No. Even a young camembert is a ripened, high-histamine cheese. It may carry somewhat less than a very ripe one, but it is not a safe pick.