Blue cheese

Blue cheese (or bleu 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 mold, 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. Blue cheese can be eaten by itself or can be crumbled or melted over foods.

In the European Union many blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton carry 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 due to the types of bacteria encouraged to grow on the cheese: for example, the bacterium Brevibacterium linens is responsible for the smell of many blue cheeses.^[1]

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 due to either cost or politics.

Select types

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Gallery

Culinary uses

The unique flavor of blue cheese can be accentuated served at room temperature, either alone or, for example, with fruit, crackers and wine.^{[citation needed]} 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.

Examples:

As a dressing served with Buffalo Wings.
Crumbled into salad.
As a dressing served with raw vegetables, specifically carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
Crumbled (and/or melted) onto grilled beef steaks, specifically New York and Kansas City Strips.
On hamburgers, especially covered with cajun seasoning to form the "Black and Blue" burger.
Crumbled (and/or melted) onto grilled or roasted lamb, or melted into a sauce with juices from cooked lamb.
It can be used to flavor a risotto or a polenta. Mixed with other famous Italian cheeses it forms the condiment for pasta quattro formaggi.
Served by itself with a red wine
On gingerbread with a hot Glögg, Scandinavian style .
Stuffed in green olives to be eaten alone or as a garnish for a martini.
Served on oatcakes, as a popular Scottish dessert.
As a filling within omelettes

References

^ Deetae P, Bonnarme P, Spinnler HE, Helinck S (2007). "Production of volatile aroma compounds by bacterial strains isolated from different surface-ripened French cheeses". Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 76 (5): 1161–71. doi:10.1007/s00253-007-1095-5. PMID 17701035. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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.

[1] Deetae P, Bonnarme P, Spinnler HE, Helinck S (2007). "Production of volatile aroma compounds by bacterial strains isolated from different surface-ripened French cheeses". Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 76 (5): 1161–71. doi:10.1007/s00253-007-1095-5. PMID 17701035. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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