Legend credits a Norman farmer named Marie Harel with the original recipe during the French Revolution, though the wooden box that let the cheese travel wasn't invented until decades later.
A whole camembert is scored, drizzled with cider or honey, and baked in its wooden box until the interior turns molten, then scooped with hunks of bread or apple slices at market stalls and fair stands. The rind blisters while the center stays soft enough to spoon.