The Hue of Blue in Blue Cheese
Simply put, the bluish-green discoloration in blue or bleu cheese is mold. While this may be an unappetizing consideration for cheese lovers, many fail to remember that the process for making any cheese is the curdling and aging of milk. Aging or ripening cheese induces bacteria to interact with the curds. Aging any cheese under controlled circumstances is where bacterial mold forms and then turns to a bluish-green color in and on the cheese as it breaks down the molecular structure and smooths out the composition.
Most people throw away food that has visibly molded, but the mold that forms in blue cheese is a delicacy that has been enjoyed for its sharp flavor and pungent odors for thousands of years. The fact is, most cheeses contain slight levels of antibiotic mold used in pharmacies world-wide.
Penicillium Roqueforti
Bacterial mold contains the antibiotic penicillin. The mold in cheese is called Penicillium roqueforti, which is related to the penicillin mold. While other, more harmful bacteria can form in molding cheese, the amount or mold is managed during the production of blue cheese. Under this managed control, the Penicillium roqueforti of blue cheese is extracted from a completed batch and introduced to a new cheese as a starter base for the new batch. Skewers are sometimes used to aerate the cheese to inhibit the growth of mold throughout the cheese and in some production of blue cheese, the mold is directly stirred into the cheese before it's pressed. This gives the blue cheese the crumbly texture most people experience and are familiar with.
The History of Blue Cheese
Most blue cheeses are made with cow or goat milk. Cheeses were produced in caves back in pre-biblical days where mold already naturally formed. This would inhibit the growth of the mold to the cheese while keeping it relatively cool and damp. It is said that blue cheese was most likely discovered by accident when a batch of cheese was particularly molded and considered ruined by the ancient cheesemaker. Deciding to taste it before discarding it, the cheesemaker realized that the cheese had achieved a distinctive taste all its own.
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