Blue Cheese

Blue Cheese

Many inventions took place due to some or other accidents; blue cheese is one among such accidental inventions. Having distinct characteristics this cheese has veins or spots of grey-green colour which mix together and give a blue look. It is not just the appearance that makes the blue cheese different and interesting; but it also has very different smell. The nutty and tangy taste of cheese along with its smell makes it one of the highly demanded categories of cheese. Some people wonder about cheese until they understand the reason behind its unique taste, appearance and smell. Blue cheese is inoculated with penicillium, which is a mould. Mould grows into the cheese and gives interesting appearance to it, providing very dark streaks, veins or patches. Gorgonzola and the Roquefort are the two most popular varieties.

People trying the blue coloured cheese enjoy its taste fully and often demand for more. The irresistible taste is very satisfying in different cuisines too. The cheese is conditioned to develop veins by injecting and by processing in different ways. In the case of gorgonzola, the spores of mould are mixed along with curd to ensure right amount of mixing and proper mould distribution in the cheese. In earlier times when cheese was stored in the caves it developed mould veins in it. The cheese with veins when tasted was found well, in this way an accidental invention took place. Gorgonzola is considered as the oldest type of cheese. It is assumed that cheese developed first time around 879 AD. Blue cheese is high in demand these days. The cheese in different aging periods makes different varieties. More is the cheese exposed to moulds, more veins and deeper taste it gains.

The manufacturing process of the blue coloured cheese includes mixing of heated milk with rennet. Rennet is a complex enzyme which causes milk to curdle. Milk is then pressed to remove whey and as such cheese is collected separately. Cheese takes a period of few days to get settled properly.

To prevent spoilage, cheese is to be kept properly wrapped in little cool temperature. Some people however consider that the presence of mould in the cheese is harmful for health but the matter is not so. In fact cheese is made from bacterium and moulds. Blue cheese has nothing that could harm the health of an individual but if any pink, yellow or red spots are visible on it then the cheese should not be consumed as these colours indicate that it has been staled.