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Glam Journal

What is the outer skin of cheese called?

Author

David Craig

Updated on April 03, 2026

What is the outer skin of cheese called?

Cheese rinds
That powdery, funky stuff on the outside of your cheese is called a rind and it’s basically the cheese’s skin. Cheese rinds form during the aging process and there are three types: bloomy, washed, and natural rinds.

Do you eat cheese crust?

Yes, the rind is generally safe to eat “No cheesemaker would put anything on the cheese that would be harmful.” Not only is the rind safe to eat, but trying it out will actually better appreciate your cheese.

What happens if you eat wax cheese rind?

The rind can get tooth-breakingly tough, almost not worth it. (Save those rinds for making stock!) Just make sure any wax or cloth is removed from these cheeses before you give the rind a nibble. While they are food safe ― according to Kirby ― they’ll likely detract from your cheese-eating experience.

Is the outer layer of cheese edible?

In a word: yes. Cheese rinds are food safe and edible. You should feel free to enjoy flavored rinds, washed rinds, and bloomy rinds as part of your cheese eating experience. Other rinds made of wax or cloth can generally be removed and discarded—these rinds are there to protect the cheese along its aging journey.

Is the wax on Babybel cheese edible?

The wax we use to coat our products is made of a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes and colouring, which specifically contains no Bisphenol A. It’s “food safe” and meets very strict regulatory standards. It poses no health risk if accidentally ingested. Can pregnant women eat Mini Babybel®?

What is the crust on cheese?

rind
The rind is the outside layer that is part of the cheese’s aging process. It’s sort of like the crust on bread—it’s part of the cheese so you can in fact, and absolutely should (depending how adventurous your palate is), eat it. Well, that is unless of course the rind is made out of wax, bark, or cheesecloth. Yuck.

Can you eat the rind on smoked cheese?

So long as the cheese coating in question was not made by man alone (like the red wax on Gouda) the rind is safe to eat. Depending on your palate, you may find that a little rind complements the cheese and enhances its flavor. You may also find it too strong, bitter, moldy or textually unpleasant.

What is the outer layer of Brie cheese called?

The outer layer of brie is called the rind. Cheese rinds are important characteristics which help us identify, which cheese is which. The white rind found on brie cheese, is called a bloomy rind.

What causes the rind to grow on the outside of cheese?

Bloomy Rinds. iStock. These are the soft, sometimes fuzzy rinds that grow on the outside of familiar cheeses like Brie and Bucheron. Cheesemakers add a solution of bacteria, like Penicillium candidum, to the outside of the cheese which causes mold to then bloom and grow until it hardens all around the cheese.

What kind of cheese is the rind made out of?

Well, that is unless of course the rind is made out of wax, bark, or cheesecloth. Yuck. The rind is where the ripening starts, which is why a cheese’s most complex and often most pungent tastes (and smells) live there. There are four major kinds of edible rinds: bloomy, washed, natural, and dry.

Where does the rind go on brie cheese?

The rind is, in fact, a white mold called Penicillium candidum, which cheesemakers inoculate the cheese with. This edible mold blooms on the outside of the paste and is then patted down, over and over again, to form the rind.

The outer layer of brie is called the rind. Cheese rinds are important characteristics which help us identify, which cheese is which. The white rind found on brie cheese, is called a bloomy rind.

Bloomy Rinds. iStock. These are the soft, sometimes fuzzy rinds that grow on the outside of familiar cheeses like Brie and Bucheron. Cheesemakers add a solution of bacteria, like Penicillium candidum, to the outside of the cheese which causes mold to then bloom and grow until it hardens all around the cheese.

The rind is, in fact, a white mold called Penicillium candidum, which cheesemakers inoculate the cheese with. This edible mold blooms on the outside of the paste and is then patted down, over and over again, to form the rind.

Well, that is unless of course the rind is made out of wax, bark, or cheesecloth. Yuck. The rind is where the ripening starts, which is why a cheese’s most complex and often most pungent tastes (and smells) live there. There are four major kinds of edible rinds: bloomy, washed, natural, and dry.