Francois Bonvin (Paris 1817-1887) was a French Realist painter who taught himself to paint and mainly painted still lifes and city scenes. Cheese often appears in French still lifes because it fits in with the local culinary tradition. By identifying the cheese you quickly know where the work was made. Bonvin made this painting east of Paris because Brie is made there according to a fixed recipe. It is a French soft white cheese made from raw cow's milk.

Recipe for Pick bread with Brie

1 ball of bread (a boule) with hard crust
200 gr. Brie de meaux
50 gr. Butter or plenty of olive oil
Flower honey
6 cloves of garlic
Parsley
Coarse sea salt

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Using a bread knife, cut the bread crosswise approximately one centimeter from the bottom. Turn the bread a quarter turn and repeat. The bread has now been cut into cubes that are still attached to the bread. Cut the brie into pieces and put them in the slots and in the bread. Melt the butter in a saucepan and press the garlic cloves over it. Finely chop a handful of fresh parsley and stir in with some coarse sea salt. Pour a mixture of melted butter, honey, garlic, sea salt and parsley over the bread. Now put bread with the brie in the oven for about 15 minutes. Serve the bread whole and pick off a piece of bread with brie at a time.