Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses
that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted
or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mould, and carries a distinct
smell, either from that or various specially cultivated bacteria.
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 into or over foods.
In the European Union, many blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Blue 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.
Blue cheeses with no protected origin name are designated simply "blue cheese".
The characteristic flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and salty.
The smell of this food is due both to the mould and to types of bacteria encouraged
to grow on the cheese: for example, the bacterium Brevibacterium linens is responsible for the
smell of many blue cheeses, as well as foot odor and other human body odors.
History Blue cheese is believed to have been discovered
by accident, when cheeses were stored in naturally temperature and moisture controlled caves,
which happened to be favourable environments for many varieties of harmless mould.
Roquefort is mentioned in texts as far back as 79 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 becoming popular sometime in the early 18th century.
Many varieties of blue cheese that originated subsequently, such as the 20th century Danablu
and Cambozola, were an attempt to fill the demand for Roquefort-style cheeses that were
prohibitive due to either cost or politics.
Nutritional information 100 g of generic blue cheese contains the
following nutritional values according to the USDA:
Calories: 353 Fat: 28.74 grams
Carbohydrates: 2.34 grams Fibers: 0 grams
Protein: 21.40 grams See also
Bleu d'Auvergne Cabrales cheese
Dorset Blue Vinney cheese Fourme d'Ambert
Maytag Stichelton
References
External links How to make blue cheese at home
What makes blue cheese blue? from The Straight Dope