Penicillium camemberti is the mold species responsible for the soft white rind on Camembert, Brie, Coulommiers, and similar bloomy-rind cheeses. Cheesemakers introduce spores to the curd or spray them onto the surface; as the mold grows inward, it breaks down proteins and produces ammonia, softening the paste into the spreadable texture these cheeses are known for. The rind is edible and contributes an earthy, faintly mushroomy note alongside the tangy interior. A popular story credits a Norman farmer's wife, Marie Harel, with inventing Camembert by accident in the 1790s, but food historians treat this as legend rather than documented fact; what's clear is that P. camemberti became linked to Normandy's soft cheeses by the 19th century.