blue cheese

Gorgonzola, a veined blue cheese from Italy.

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had Penicillium cultures added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mould, and carries a distinct smell. Some blue cheeses are injected with spores before the curds form and others have spores mixed in with the curds after they form. Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment such as a cave.

In the European Union many blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are, like wine, a protected designation of origin, meaning they can bear the name only if they have been made in a particular region in a certain country. Similarly, individual countries have protections of their own such as France's Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and Italy's Denominazione di Origine Protetta.

The characteristic flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and a bit salty. The smell of this food is widely considered to be pungent, even smelling like feet. This is due to the types of bacteria encouraged to grow on the cheese; for example, the bacterium brevibacterium linens, responsible for the pungent smell of many blue cheeses, is also the cause of human foot odor.^[1][2] Due to this strong smell and flavor, blue cheeses are often considered an acquired taste. They can be eaten by themselves or can be crumbled or melted over foods.

History

Blue cheese is believed to have been discovered by accident. The caves in which early cheeses were aged shared the properties of being temperature and moisture controlled environments, as well as being favorable to many varieties of mould. Roquefort is said to have been invented in 1070 AD. Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue cheeses, having been created around 879 AD, though it is said that it did not actually contain blue veins until around the 11th century. Stilton is a relatively new addition occurring sometime in the 18th century. Many varieties of blue cheese that originated subsequently were an attempt to fill the demand for Roquefort-style cheeses that were prohibitive either due to cost or politics.

Select types

Cabrales cheese	Cambozola	Roquefort	Danish Blue cheese
Dorset Blue Vinney cheese	Fourme d'Ambert	Stilton	Gorgonzola

Culinary uses

The unique flavor of blue cheese is typically appreciated at room temperature either alone or served with fruit, crackers and wine. It has a flavor which varies from nutty to sour or tangy. Blue cheeses are strong, rustic-flavored cheeses and go best with similarly strong, flavored foods and drinks, and with tannic red wines.

References

1. ^ nature.com: Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings (2001)
2. ^ [1]

External links

• How to make blue cheese at home, from Fankkhauser's Cheese Pages.
• What makes blue cheese blue? from The Straight Dope
• All You Need is Cheese Podcast, explores the bold flavors of Canadian Blue Cheese.