The railway revolution arrived in Normandy on 3 July 1870, when a train from Paris made its grand entry into Granville station. The story goes that Camembert owes its world renown to the development of the Paris-Granville line. This may seem hard to believe, but it's true. According to legend, it was during the inauguration of this railway line that the grandson of Marie Harel, the creator of Camembert, gave Napoleon III a taste of the creamy cheese. Seduced by the flavour, the emperor asked for more... and more. From that day on, the imperial court regularly imported the delicacy. In 1890, an engineer had the brilliant idea to put the Norman speciality in a wooden box, and the rest is history. Having charmed the French capital and then the country, Camembert crossed borders and went overseas. Today, it's one of the best loved cheeses in the world.
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