What Makes Blue Cheese Blue?
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Posted by Larry Ervin Apr 21, 2008 |
My mom taught me to love blue cheese. When eating out, she'd ask for blue cheese dressing and sometimes the waitress would say, sorry, all we have is Roquefort. What makes blue cheese blue? The bluish veins are edible mold,: either Penicillin Roquefortii or, as with Gorgonzola, Penicillin Glaucum. While they are related to the antibiotic, I can't recommend blue cheese as a substitue. Having said that, the Romans in the first century prescribed cheese as a cure for all manner of ailments, the stinkier the more effacious. The French and Italians will go back and forth as to which came first, Roquefort or Gorgonzola. Both have somewhat similar folk tales of their accidental discoveries (although the French version is wrapped in a love story, quel suprise), how the cheese was left too long or in the wrong cave and blue mold grew on the cheese. Somebody dared eat it and the world is glad they did. Many blue cheeses are still aged in caves, but instead of depending on the naturally occurring mold in the caves, almost all varieties are injected or mixed with the mold before they are aged. How long they are aged makes one difference between different cheeses. The longer the stronger. Probably the biggest factors are the kind of animal whose milk is used and what they eat, drink and breath. Roquefort is made from ewe's milk. Gorgonzola is primarily made from cow's milk. Cabrales is made from a mixture of cow, sheep and goat's milk. Recipes Incorporating Blue Cheese?
- Bleu d'Auvergne Cheese
- Blue Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin
- Mac and Cheese for Grownups
- Blue Cheese Stuffed Medjool Dates
Which Cheese to Buy?
- Eleven French Blue Cheeses Compared
- Alternative Blue-Veined Cheeses from Spain, Argentina and even Tasmania
Other Ingredients in French Cuisine?
